chance

Adjective

• occurring or appearing or singled out by chance
  • seek help from casual passers-by
    
  • a casual meeting
    
  • a chance occurrence
    

Noun

• the possibility of future success
  • his prospects as a writer are excellent
    

• 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
    

• a risk involving danger
  • you take a chance when you let her drive
    

• an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another
  • bad luck caused his downfall
    
  • we ran into each other by pure chance
    

• a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
  • the holiday gave us the opportunity to visit Washington
    
  • now is your chance
    

Verb

• come upon, as if by accident; meet with
  • We find this idea in Plato
    
  • I happened upon the most wonderful bakery not very far from here
    
  • She chanced upon an interesting book in the bookstore the other day
    

• take a risk in the hope of a favorable outcome
  • When you buy these stocks you are gambling
    

• be the case by chance
  • I chanced to meet my old friend in the street
    

Related words

• Synonyms: 
  casual , chance(a) , prospect , probability , luck , fortune , hazard , opportunity , find , happen , bump , encounter , gamble , risk , take chances , adventure , run a risk , take a chance