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
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While heading for resupply before its next escort mission, the frigate encountered a minefield laid by Iran the night before, according to Cox.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
22 Mar. 2026 -
City officials said crews encountered unexpected conditions while removing aging infrastructure inside the pool, requiring additional time and specialized equipment.—
Faith Bugenhagen,
Austin American Statesman,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Dolores Huerta, 95, who co-founded the United Farm Workers (UFW) Union with Chavez, has accused him of raping her twice.—
Steve Large,
CBS News,
24 Mar. 2026
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Port Harcourt was founded in 1913 and governed by the military, the police, and by courts that upheld colonial law to protect British commercial interests and missionaries.—
Noo Saro-Wiwa,
The Dial,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Sofia is the film director Sofia Coppola, who’s been one of Jacobs’s close friends since the two met, in the early nineties, toward the end of his time at Perry Ellis.—
Naomi Fry,
New Yorker,
21 Mar. 2026
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More than 1,000 Lebanese have died since militant group Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel over the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and was met with a blistering response that caused more than 700,000 to flee their homes.—
Cybele Mayes-Osterman,
USA Today,
21 Mar. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Chanced (upon).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chanced%20%28upon%29. Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.
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