Dictionary definition · chance
noun
- a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances"the holiday gave us the opportunity to visit Washington"
- an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another"bad luck caused his downfall"
- a risk involving danger"you take a chance when you let her drive"
- a measure of how likely it is that some event will occur; a number expressing the ratio of favorable cases to the whole number of cases possible"the probability that an unbiased coin will fall with the head up is 0.5"
- the possibility of future success"his prospects as a writer are excellent"
verb
- be the case by chance"I chanced to meet my old friend in the street"
- take a risk in the hope of a favorable outcome"When you buy these stocks you are gambling"
- come upon, as if by accident; meet with"We find this idea in Plato"
adjective
- occurring or appearing or singled out by chance"seek help from casual passers-by"
Source: Open English WordNet (CC BY 4.0).