half a chance

idiom

: any opportunity
If given half a chance, she could show everyone how talented she is.

Examples of half a chance in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Riff Raff is that unexpected gem that comes along ever so rarely now, a true original and one audiences are likely to eat up given half a chance to see it in theatres. Pete Hammond, Deadline, 9 Sep. 2024 That’s the Federal Reserve’s sober message — though given half a chance, the markets won’t heed it. Jeff Sommer, New York Times, 14 Dec. 2023 Luckily, vexations are evergreen if given half a chance, and, at least on Broadway, are assuageable. Jesse Green, New York Times, 16 Nov. 2023 The shape of my life seems almost the inverse of the hero’s mountain: a first half devoted to others, a second half a chance to become ourselves. Avivah Wittenberg-Cox, Forbes, 1 Sep. 2021 Naturally, this is a futile exercise, one that hopelessly sweeps the recent history of the American right under the rug and foolishly sacrifices journalistic integrity in the dim hopes of winning converts from an authoritarian party that would demolish the free press given half a chance. Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 7 Sep. 2022 Best to arrive at her fort defenseless to have half a chance at challenging her own almost unbreachable defense system. Bono, Vogue, 5 Nov. 2022 The voters of Arizona have a clear choice between Hobbs, who fights for election integrity, and Lake, who her critics fear will bludgeon democracy if given half a chance. Dean Obeidallah, CNN, 17 Oct. 2022 Except that uncle is a harmless figure of sympathy, whereas the Republican Party is about to destroy democracy, if given half a chance. Michael Tomasky, The New Republic, 15 Nov. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'half a chance.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Dictionary Entries Near half a chance

Cite this Entry

“Half a chance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/half%20a%20chance. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!