stand a chance of
idiom
: to have a possibility of (succeeding or winning)
The team stands a chance of doing well this year.
I think she stands a good chance of winning the election.
—often used in negative statementsShe stands no chance of winning.
Examples of stand a chance of in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
So, back to the dramatic gesture: What could Biden undertake that would stand a chance of providing an aggressive narrative framework for his campaign and maybe get people’s attention?
—
Michael Tomasky, The New Republic, 5 Sep. 2023
The vast majority of organisms that have lived on the planet didn’t stand a chance of becoming fossils.
—Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 July 2023
The intensely competitive housing market has, in many cases, required buyers to use every available resource to stand a chance of winning.
—Sean Clark, CNN, 18 Feb. 2022
An aspiring financial analyst, Opafola has to invest consistently over the next 15 years to stand a chance of achieving this dream.
—Alexander Onukwue, Quartz, 31 Jan. 2022
Once some cells start to perform a new role, giving up their own reproductive success to increase that of their neighbors, computational models suggest that living in a group must provide efficiency benefits for the lifestyle to stand a chance of surviving.
—Quanta Magazine, 22 Sep. 2021
Targeted policies such as increasing funding for Pell grants would help reduce the number of low-income students who have to take on debt to attend college—and stand a chance of passing.
—WSJ, 1 June 2021
Younger composers who resisted this doctrine, preferring evolution to revolution, did not stand a chance of gaining attention.
—Walter Simmons, Harper's Magazine, 25 May 2021
The splatter screen, on the other hand, has fine mesh holes big enough to allow steam to escape, but small enough that oil doesn’t stand a chance of going anywhere.
—Emma Wartzman, Bon Appétit, 4 May 2021
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Michael Tomasky, The New Republic, 5 Sep. 2023
The vast majority of organisms that have lived on the planet didn’t stand a chance of becoming fossils.
—Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 July 2023
The intensely competitive housing market has, in many cases, required buyers to use every available resource to stand a chance of winning.
—Sean Clark, CNN, 18 Feb. 2022
An aspiring financial analyst, Opafola has to invest consistently over the next 15 years to stand a chance of achieving this dream.
—Alexander Onukwue, Quartz, 31 Jan. 2022
Once some cells start to perform a new role, giving up their own reproductive success to increase that of their neighbors, computational models suggest that living in a group must provide efficiency benefits for the lifestyle to stand a chance of surviving.
—Quanta Magazine, 22 Sep. 2021
Targeted policies such as increasing funding for Pell grants would help reduce the number of low-income students who have to take on debt to attend college—and stand a chance of passing.
—WSJ, 1 June 2021
Younger composers who resisted this doctrine, preferring evolution to revolution, did not stand a chance of gaining attention.
—Walter Simmons, Harper's Magazine, 25 May 2021
The splatter screen, on the other hand, has fine mesh holes big enough to allow steam to escape, but small enough that oil doesn’t stand a chance of going anywhere.
—Emma Wartzman, Bon Appétit, 4 May 2021
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stand a chance of.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Stand a chance of.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stand%20a%20chance%20of. Accessed 2 Dec. 2023.
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