I.
noun
1 possibility
ADJECTIVE
▪ excellent , good , high , real , strong
▪
There is a very real ~ that the film will win an award.
▪ decent , fair , fighting , legitimate , realistic , reasonable , solid , sporting
▪
There's a fair ~ that nobody will come to the talk.
▪ little , the merest , million-to-one , minimal , outside , remote , slender , slight , slim
▪
There was only a million-to-one ~ of it happening.
▪
As long as there is an outside ~, we will go for it.
▪ fifty-fifty , one-in-three, etc. , 10%, 20%, etc.
▪
They have a 90% ~ of success.
▪ zero ( esp. AmE )
▪
He had zero ~ of survival.
▪ survival
▪
What are his survival ~s?
▪ election , electoral ( esp. BrE )
▪ play-off ( AmE )
VERB + CHANCE
▪ give sb
▪
The doctors gave him ( = said that he had ) little ~ of surviving the night.
▪ be in with , have , stand
▪
After a poor start, they are now in with a ~ of winning.
▪
He doesn't stand a ~ of winning against such an experienced player.
▪ assess , rate
▪
How do you rate our ~s of finding her?
▪ fancy ( BrE )
▪
I don't fancy our ~s of getting there on time.
▪ boost , enhance , improve , increase , maximize
▪ compromise , decrease , hurt , jeopardize , lessen , minimize , prejudice , reduce , ruin , scupper ( BrE , informal ), spoil
▪ destroy , eliminate , end , kill
▪
It was a mistake which eliminated any ~ of an Australian victory.
▪ risk
▪
He didn't want to risk the ~ of being discovered.
PREPOSITION
▪ by any ~
▪
Are you by any ~ Mr Ludd?
▪ ~ of
▪
The missing climber's ~s of survival are slim.
▪ ~ for
▪
the variety with the best ~ for success
PHRASES
▪ fat ~ ( informal )
▪
Fat ~ ( = there is no chance ) of him helping you!
▪ have every ~
▪
She has every ~ of passing the exam if she works hard.
▪ no ~!
▪
‘Will he lend us his car?’ ‘No ~!’
▪ not a snowball's ~ in hell ( informal )
▪
There isn't a snowball's ~ in hell ( = there is no chance ) that I'll wear that thing!
▪ on the off ~ (= just in case)
▪
I rang the company just on the off ~ that they might have a vacancy.
2 opportunity
ADJECTIVE
▪ equal , fair , good , great , ideal , wonderful
▪
She played left-handed to give her opponent a fair ~.
▪
This is the ideal ~ for him to show his ability.
▪ big
▪
This is your big ~, so grab it with both hands.
▪ golden
▪
He had wasted a golden ~ to make history.
▪ once-in-a-lifetime , rare , unique
▪ only
▪
He realized that this might be his only ~ to save himself.
▪ final , last , second
▪
The teacher gave her one last ~ to prove she could behave.
▪
There are no second ~s in this business.
▪ educational , life
▪
The new college is intended to improve the life ~s of children in the inner city.
▪ clear , clear-cut , save ( AmE ), scoring ( all sports )
▪
He blew four of his seven save ~s.
… OF CHANCE
▪ element
▪
There is always an element of ~ in buying a used car.
VERB + CHANCE
▪ get , have
▪
I finally had the ~ to meet my hero.
▪ deserve
▪
He deserves the ~ to give his side of the story.
▪ enjoy , relish , welcome
▪
I would welcome the ~ to give my opinion.
▪ afford (sb) , give sb , offer (sb) , provide (sb with)
▪ deny sb
▪
No child should be denied the ~ of growing up in a family.
▪ await , wait for
▪ create , make ( sports )
▪
The team created several clear ~s but failed to score.
▪ see , spot
▪
She spotted her ~ of making a quick profit.
▪ grab , grasp , jump at , seize , take
▪
Travis had left the door open—she seized her ~ and was through it like a shot.
▪
Take every ~ that comes your way.
▪ blow ( informal ), forfeit , lose , miss , pass up , squander , throw away , turn down , waste
▪
They blew their ~ to go second in the league.
▪
I wouldn't pass up the ~ of working for them.
CHANCE + VERB
▪ arise , come , come your way
▪
When the ~ came to go to Paris, she jumped at it.
PREPOSITION
▪ ~ at
▪
Katie was his last real ~ at happiness.
▪
He had been given a new ~ at life.
PHRASES
▪ given the ~
▪
Given the ~, I'd retire tomorrow.
▪ half a ~
▪
The dog always runs off when it gets half a ~.
▪ let a ~ slip , let a ~ slip away
▪
If she let this ~ slip, she would regret it for the rest of her life.
3 risk
VERB + CHANCE
▪ take
▪
The guidebook didn't mention the hotel, but we decided to take a ~.
PREPOSITION
▪ ~ on
▪
The manager took a ~ on the young goalkeeper.
▪ ~ with
▪
The police were taking no ~s with the protesters.
4 luck/fortune
ADJECTIVE
▪ mere , pure , sheer
▪ random
▪ happy , lucky
▪
By a happy ~ he bumped into an old friend on the plane.
▪ unlucky
VERB + CHANCE
▪ leave sth to
▪
Leaving nothing to ~, he delivered the letter himself.
PREPOSITION
▪ by ~
▪
The police came upon the hideout purely by ~.
▪ due to ~
▪
The results could simply be due to ~.
▪ through ~
▪
I got most answers right through sheer ~.
PHRASES
▪ a game of ~
▪
Chess is not a game of ~.
▪ take your ~s (= take a risk in the hope that things will turn out well)
▪
He took his ~s and jumped into the water.
II.
verb
Chance is used with these nouns as the object: ↑ look , ↑ luck , ↑ peek
III.
adj.
Chance is used with these nouns: ↑ acquaintance , ↑ conversation , ↑ discovery , ↑ encounter , ↑ meeting , ↑ mutation , ↑ remark