1
as in to encounter
to come upon face-to-face or as if face-to-face
chanced upon my archenemy as I rounded a corner
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to find
to come upon unexpectedly or by chance
I chanced upon your mother in the grocery store yesterday
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chance (upon)
Verb
-
Nearly half the species in this stretch of forest are nocturnal, offering a rare chance to encounter species like red-eyed tree frogs and bats in their natural environments.—
Meghan Palmer,
Condé Nast Traveler,
29 Mar. 2026 -
Are your goals encountering a wild card?—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Most of the trouble on this night came from starter Ryan Johnson’s inability to find the strike zone and the defense’s problems converting two plays that should have been made.—
Jeff Fletcher,
Oc Register,
31 Mar. 2026
-
The Will County Sheriff's Office confirmed on Monday that more remains have been found in the same location where the bones of a missing man were discovered last week.—
Jeramie Bizzle,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Within eight minutes, the New Kensington fire department arrived and was met with heavy flames at the back of the house.—
Jessica Riley,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
-
The teams meet for the third time this season.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
30 Mar. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Chance (upon).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chance%20%28upon%29. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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