0 an occasion that allows something to be done: --
I'd go now given half a chance (= if I had the slightest opportunity).
Society has to give prisoners a second chance when they come out of jail.
[ + to infinitive ] If you give me a chance to speak, I'll explain.
I didn't get/have a chance to speak to her.
1 the level of possibility that something will happen: --
[ + that ] What are the chances that they'll win?
What are her chances of survival?
Her resignation has improved my chances of promotion.
UK John thinks they're in with a chance (= they have a possibility of doing or getting what they want).
"Is there any chance of speaking to him?" "Not a/No chance, I'm afraid."
If we hurry, there's still an outside (= very small) chance of catching the plane.
There's a slim/slight chance (that) I might have to go to Manchester next week.
[ + (that) ] There's a good chance (that) I'll have this essay finished by tomorrow.
You'd have a better chance/more chance of passing your exams if you worked a bit harder.
2 a possibility that something negative will happen: --
3 the force that causes things to happen without any known cause or reason for doing so: --
You wouldn't, by any chance, have a calculator on you, would you?
Are you Hungarian, by any chance?
We must double-check everything and leave nothing to chance.
[ + (that) ] It was pure/sheer chance (that) we met.
I got this job completely by chance.
Roulette is a game of chance.
4 to risk something: --
5 to happen or do something by chance: --
Ten years after leaving school, we chanced on/upon (= unexpectedly met) each other in Regent Street.
I chanced on/upon (= found unexpectedly) some old love letters in a drawer.
[ + to infinitive ] They chanced to be in the restaurant when I arrived.
Figure 1 is a visual representation of the marginal impact that recurring disputes have on the chances of war.
Finally, asking subjects to rank the outcomes before they acted would have chanced a contamination of their actual dilemma behaviour.
Taken together, the electoral rules have significant consequences for the chances of obtaining political power.
They might also be reinforced by developments which increased the chances of detecting breaches of the law, such as advances in technology.
What evidence can be brought to bear, and what are the chances, in retrospect?
Parameterization of the chances of contact between age groups was done based on two field studies [28, 29].
Their inclusion probably reflects a selection bias, as a higher number exposed in these premises increases the chances of the outbreak being identified.
To improve their chances of gaining the presidency they knew they would have to somehow appeal to a broader cross section of the population.
