chance on

Học thuật
Thân thiện
Definition

Verb (transitive) To find or encounter something or someone unexpectedly or by accident.

Usage

This verb describes the action of discovering or coming across something without planning or searching for it. It emphasizes the element of luck or coincidence in the discovery. It is often used in storytelling or recounting past events.

Examples
  • We chanced on a wonderful little café while wandering through the side streets.
  • Researchers chanced on a rare manuscript in the attic of the old library.
  • I chanced on an old friend from school at the airport yesterday.
Advanced Usage
  • Chance upon: This is a common variant with identical meaning and usage.
    • He chanced upon the solution while working on a different problem.
  • The verb is typically used in past narratives (e.g., chanced on, had chanced on) but can be used in other tenses.
    • If you chance on a copy of that book, please buy it for me.
Variants and Related Words
  • Chance upon (phrasal verb): A direct synonym with identical meaning to "chance on."
  • Stumble on/upon (phrasal verb): To find or encounter by chance, often implying a physical or metaphorical stumble into the discovery.
  • Come across (phrasal verb): To find or meet unexpectedly.
  • Happen upon (phrasal verb): A more formal synonym for finding by chance.
Synonyms
  • Discover (by accident)
  • Encounter (unexpectedly)
  • Find (by chance)
Related Phrasal Verbs
  • Chance upon: See "Variants and Related Words."
  • Run across: To meet or find someone or something by chance.
    • I ran across that quote in a magazine last week.
Related Idioms
  • Strike gold: To find something very valuable or successful, often by chance. This idiom carries a stronger connotation of valuable discovery than "chance on."
    • The writer struck gold with her first novel.
Verb
  1. find unexpectedly
    • the archeologists chanced upon an old tomb
    • she struck a goldmine
    • The hikers finally struck the main path to the lake