CHANCES Synonyms: 115 Similar and Opposite Words

chances 1 of 2

noun

plural of chance

as in luck

the uncertain course of events rather than leave everything to chance, let's plan how we're going to spend our time in New York City

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in opportunities

a favorable combination of circumstances, time, and place this is my one chance to succeed

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in probabilities

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

as in gambles

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

sure things

chances

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of chance

as in risks

to take a chance on I don't think we should chance driving in this snowstorm

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as in happens

to take place there chanced to be a beautiful day when we were touring that part of Scotland

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 chances

Noun

Fans are cautious about discussing UCLA’s chances of making the College Football Playoff, despite the Bruins becoming the last undefeated team in the Big Ten and Southeastern Conference. — Jordan Puente, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026 Though that doesn’t mean the Texas head coach is ready to risk the chances of them making the CFP if Arch cannot show progress in the first half on Saturday. — Trey Wallace Outkick, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2026 The Miami Dolphins have 12 more chances to avoid book-ending the 1972 Perfect Season with the Imperfect Season, becoming the first team in NFL history to go 0-17. — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 18 Oct. 2026 Both of Messi’s goals came from the legend’s mastery of creating chances out of nothing. — Amna Subhan, AJC.com, 18 Oct. 2026 The week ahead will bring plenty of chances to flip the script. — Zev Fima,kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 18 Oct. 2026 The Commanders inexplicably ran the clock out on themselves in field-goal range and had to settle for a tie against the Giants, who wasted two chances to win in overtime. — ABC News, 12 Oct. 2026 California voters have up to three chances to fix a mistake on their ballot, including by exchanging it at the county elections office or indicating the correction directly on the original ballot without initialing it. — Sacbee.com, 12 Oct. 2026 Swift is not alone in splitting her chances with different submissions. — Chris Willman, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026

Verb

Some models bring the moisture in Tuesday, increasing rain chances Tuesday afternoon and evening, the weather service said. — Kansas City Star, 9 Oct. 2026 Clouds return Monday along with minimal rain chances thanks to a weak front. — Joseph Dames, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026 On prediction market platform Kalshi, chances for a hike in October stood at just 18%, down from almost 70% a week ago. — Davis Giangiulio, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026 Rain chances midweek Southeast Texas will be on the receiving end of moisture from two sources, according to forecasters. — Roberto Villalpando, Houston Chronicle, 27 Sep. 2026 After dark, chances rise to 90% and the totals could exceed a half an inch, forecasters say. — Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 22 Sep. 2026 Highs are expected in the upper 80s and the rain chances for the week through Sunday hover around the 80% range — especially Wednesday when the weather service puts storm chances at 88%. — Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 21 Sep. 2026 Rain chances in Central Florida climb to 80% on Labor Day with temperatures in the 90s, according to the National Weather Service in Melbourne. — Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 Sep. 2026 Rain chances along the storm's path remain over 60% on Wednesday, according to weather service forecasts. — Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for chances

Noun

The prince didn’t have any luck in blocking Kelce, which comes as little surprise given the Chiefs star knows how to avoid defensive players.

— Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 24 Oct. 2026
Halloween fireballs Our last pick is going to take a great deal of patience, and a good amount of luck!

— Anthony Wood, Space.com, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of luck

Noun

The court also found that families in many rural counties have substantially fewer opportunities to use EdChoice vouchers.

— Bilin Lin, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026
The event, for golfers and non-golfers, will include golf instruction, interactive activities, music, food and opportunities to connect with founders Ajanaku and Cooper, community leaders, local organizations, and others.

— Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of opportunities

Noun

But of course there's a distribution of future unknown probabilities.

— Sean Conlon,Hugh Leask,Lee Ying Shan,Deena Zaidi, CNBC, 20 Oct. 2026
Farther east, including the I-35 corridor and the metroplex, rain chances will generally range from 30–50%, with lower probabilities toward our southeastern counties.

— Michael Autovino, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of probabilities

Noun

While the human might try big gambles to come back from a significant deficit, Ataraxos would work its way back into the game slowly and methodically.

— Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 1 Oct. 2026
On fourth-and-6 from the Poinciana 48, Gateway Coach Marlin Roberts and gambles on the first play of the fourth quarter.

— Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of gambles

Verb

Without one, the country risks stalling tools central to its competitiveness, or building them at the expense of the communities next door.

— Neil Chatterjee, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
But that goal risks complicating the campaign for a 20% federal incentive for domestic production, which has broader industry support and which advocates hope will pass by the end of the year.

— Gene Maddaus, Variety, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of risks

Verb

For the technology leader responsible for keeping essential services running, these details provide a basis for assessing what protections exist and what happens in an extreme scenario.

— Margot Edelman, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
The conversational layer may be what a borrower sees, but the difficult work happens deeper in the stack, where documents, rules, calculations, decisions, and transaction states have to remain connected.

— Ethan Stone, Sacbee.com, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of happens

Noun

These circumstances, too, create a perception of the world as unpredictable and may lead people to seek escape via alcohol or other drugs.

— Maia Szalavitz, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
In a Facebook post, police explained that officers can consider the circumstances when deciding whether warnings, citations or other enforcement are appropriate within the law and department policy.

— CBS News, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of circumstances

Noun

Trump has repeatedly praised his administration's relationship with Rodríguez, highlighting agreements involving Venezuelan oil production and other business ventures with American companies.

— Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026
While in the United States, the pair took on a variety of media ventures — including a podcast, a television series and documentaries — under their multimedia company Archewell Productions.

— Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026