1
as in encountered
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 found
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 chanced (upon)
Verb
-
Of course, not all care is good care, as anyone who has ever encountered a clumsy dentist will tell you.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 May 2026 -
The Marshall Project reviewed dozens of incident and offense reports and interviewed advocates, attorneys and individuals in Palm Beach County who encountered the Sheriff’s Office.—
Shoshana Walter,
Miami Herald,
11 May 2026
Verb
-
The building is full of character, having at turns been home to a book press, bank, and, most appropriately, the founding headquarters of the Danish Spirit Producers.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
12 May 2026
-
The letter, sent Friday, comes amid a high-stakes legal battle currently playing out in an Oakland federal courtroom between onetime partners Altman and Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, who in 2015 co-founded the AI company best known for creating ChatGPT.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
What are the expectations, and can those expectations be met right away?—
Andrew Marantz,
New Yorker,
9 May 2026
-
Roycemore Board member Kevin Foote told parents on the Wednesday call, according to the transcript, that the unidentified donor has committed to providing funding through the school’s graduation in June, but beyond that, certain criteria must be met.—
Claire Murphy,
Chicago Tribune,
8 May 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Chanced (upon).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chanced%20%28upon%29. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
