chance 1 of 3

1
2
as in opportunity
a favorable combination of circumstances, time, and place this is my one chance to succeed

Synonyms & Similar Words

3
as in probability
a measure of how often an event will occur instead of another the chance of being struck by lightning is very low

Synonyms & Similar Words

4
as in venture
a risky undertaking it's a chance, but I think the business will be profitable

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

chance

2 of 3

adjective

chance

3 of 3

verb

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of chance
Noun
If the Dodgers are unable to come away with a two-game lead in the best-of-seven series, there is a chance Hernandez and his wife won’t have to return to Milwaukee. Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2025 Rip currents are formidable natural forces, but knowing how to react can significantly increase your chances of safely navigating these challenging waters. Nc Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 11 Oct. 2025
Verb
Daily rain chances on the horizon An active weather patten is to thank and/or blame for the daily rain chances. Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 Sep. 2025 Instead of leaving elite rep behavior to chance, leaders can use AI to break down what top performers do well—from qualifying deals to managing risk—and embed those actions into playbooks that every seller can follow. Rohit Shrivastava, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for chance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chance
Noun
  • But procrastinators or the more spontaneous among us might not be out of luck if you.
    Karla Walsh, Southern Living, 15 Oct. 2025
  • SpaceX’s luck appears to be turning, as the company notched a second straight successful test flight of the Starship launch system — the most powerful rocket ever constructed — on Monday evening.
    Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Because access to opportunity is not evenly distributed, Patel adds that receiving help isn’t something to feel guilty about.
    Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2025
  • More than 100 entrepreneurs won an opportunity at Walmart's Open Call this week to place their products on Walmart and Sam's Club shelves and e-commerce sites.
    Serenah McKay, Arkansas Online, 11 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • There is only a 30 percent probability of Connor offering surplus value at that price; there’s even a chance Connor’s game falls off precipitously in his mid-30s.
    Murat Ates, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
  • That wavefunction, in turn, dictates the probability of observing this quantum system in a specific state with certain properties, as well as the probability of a transition occurring — spontaneously, even if classically forbidden — through the process of quantum tunneling.
    Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 8 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The old model for startups (raise a few rounds of venture money, then go public) or buyouts (clean up the business, then relist within a few years) has been upended by the rise of private money as an alternative to being public.
    Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 9 Oct. 2025
  • HavocAI closed an $85 million venture funding round at the end of September so that it can be prepared to manufacture thousands of autonomous boats and incorporate its autonomous tech stack into new types of vessels at a moment’s notice, its cofounder and CEO, Paul Lwin, tells Fortune.
    Jessica Mathews, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • At the time, Anderson called it an accidental error.
    Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Oct. 2025
  • The Americans started brightly and confidently, getting control in midfield and probing with intent, but chances were rare, with the first real effort somewhat accidental as Zavier Gozo’s cross from the left clipped the top of the bar.
    The Athletic Staff, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Several of her cabinet picks have close ties to Taiwan, risking friction with Beijing, Japan’s top trading partner.
    Hanako Montgomery, CNN Money, 11 Oct. 2025
  • The organization was in a bureaucratic bind, and had to find a way to hold what should have been the second major of 2020 or risk financial peril.
    Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • There was a chill in the air, but for Liverpool’s midfielder, newly arrived from Spain, the real culture shock was what happened on the pitch.
    Oliver Kay, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
  • At the time, authorities said several companies operated on the Accurate Energetic Systems property, but the blast happened in an area operated by Rio Ammunition.
    Isabel Rosales, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • In 2022, life circumstances prompted her and her husband to make things official quickly.
    Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 10 Oct. 2025
  • There was my mother’s paternal grandfather, owner of 400 acres in South Carolina’s Low Country, murdered under sketchy circumstances, 397 acres of his property stolen from his widow, with no justice whatsoever.
    Kevin Powell, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Chance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chance. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.

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