1. A possibility due to a favourable combination of circumstances
   "now is your chance";
   - opportunity
    
2. An unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another
   "we ran into each other by pure chance";
   - luck, fortune, hazard
    
3. A risk involving danger
   "you take a chance when you let her drive"
    
4. A measure of how likely it is that some event will occur; a number expressing the ratio of favourable cases to the whole number of cases possible
   "if that phone call is for me, chances are it's my wife";
   - probability
    
5. The possibility of future success
   "his chances as a writer are excellent";
   - prospect

1. Occurring, appearing or singled out by chance
   "a chance occurrence";
   - casual

1. Take a risk in the hope of a favourable outcome
   "When you buy these stocks you are taking chances";
   - gamble, risk, hazard, take chances, adventure, run a risk, take a chance
    
2. Come upon, as if by accident; meet with
   "She chanced upon an interesting book in the bookstore the other day";
   - find, happen, bump, encounter

Sounds like: chants

Derived forms: chancing, chanced, chances

See also: unplanned

Type of: amount, assay [archaic], attempt, bump into, come across, danger, encounter, essay, measure, meet, peril, phenomenon, possibility, possibleness, potency, potential, potentiality, quantity, risk, run across, run into, see, seek, try

Encyclopedia: Chance, Patrick