2
general::
noun possibility ADJ. excellent, good, high, strong | fair, fighting, sporting, realistic, reasonable There's a fair chance that nobody will come to the talk. | little, the merest, million-to-one, minimal, outside, slender, slim, slight There was only a million-to-one chance of it happening. As long as there is an outside chance, we will go for it. | fifty-fifty, one-in-three, -four, etc., 10, 20, etc. per cent They have a 90 per cent chance of success. | survival What are his survival chances? | election, electoral VERB + CHANCE give sb The doctors gave him (= said that he had ) little chance of surviving the night. | be in with, have, stand After a poor start, they are now in with a chance of winning the league. He doesn't stand a chance of winning against such an experienced player. | assess, rate How do you rate our chances of finding her? | fancy I don't fancy our chances of getting there on time. | boost, enhance, improve, increase, maximize | compromise, jeopardize, lessen, minimize, prejudice, reduce, ruin, scupper, spoil PREP. by any ~ Are you by any chance Mr Ludd? | ~ of The missing climber's chances of survival are slim. PHRASES fat chance (informal) Fat chance (= there is no chance) of him helping you! | have every chance She has every chance of passing the exam if she works hard. | no chance! ‘Will he lend us his car?’ ‘No chance!’ | on the off chance (= just in case) I rang the firm just on the off chance that they might have a vacancy. opportunity ADJ. fair, good, great, ideal, wonderful She played left-handed to give her opponent a fair chance. This is the ideal chance for him to show his ability. | big This is your big chance?grab it with both hands. | once-in-a-lifetime | last, second The teacher gave her one last chance to prove she could behave. There are no second chances in this business. | educational, life The new college is intended to improve the life chances of children in the inner city. | clear, clear-cut, scoring (sport) QUANT. element There is always an element of chance in buying a used car. VERB + CHANCE get, have I finally had the chance to meet my hero. | deserve He deserves the chance to give his side of the story. | welcome I would welcome the chance to give my opinion. | give sb, offer (sb), provide (sb with) | deny sb No child should be denied the chance of growing up in a family. | wait for | create, make (sport) The team created several clear chances but failed to score. | spot She spotted her chance of making a quick profit. | grab, grasp, jump at, seize, take Travis had left the door open?she seized her chance and was through it like a shot. Take every chance that comes your way. | blow, miss, pass up, squander, throw away, turn down, waste They blew their chance to go second in the league. I wouldn't pass up the chance of working for them. CHANCE + VERB arise, come up, come your way When the chance came up to go to Paris, she jumped at it. PHRASES given the chance Given the chance, I'd stop work tomorrow. | half a chance The dog always runs off when it gets half a chance. | let a chance slip (by) If she let this chance slip, she would regret it for the rest of her life. risk VERB + CHANCE take The guide book didn't mention the hotel, but we decided to take a chance. PREP. ~ on The manager took a chance on the young goalkeeper. | ~ with The police were taking no chances with the protesters. luck/fortune ADJ. pure, sheer | happy, lucky By a happy chance he bumped into an old friend on the plane. | unlucky VERB + CHANCE leave sth to Leaving nothing to chance, he delivered the letter himself. PREP. by ~ The police came upon the hideout purely by chance. | due to ~ The results could simply be due to chance. | through ~ I got most answers right through sheer chance. PHRASES a game of chance Chess is not a game of chance. | take your chances (= take a risk in the hope that things will turn out well) He took his chances and jumped into the water.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
5
general::
chance
verbs
have/stand a chance (of something)
(= it is possible you will do it )
• I think you have a good chance of getting the job.
give somebody a chance of doing something
(= say how likely it is that they will do it )
• He has been given a fifty-fifty chance of being fit for Sunday’s match.
increase the chance of something
• Certain foods increase the chance of heart disease.
improve the chance of something
• The book shows you how to improve your chance of success.
reduce/lessen the chance of something
• The talks were aimed at reducing the chance of war.
ruin any chance of something
(= make it impossible for something to happen )
• Drinking alcohol can ruin any chance of weight loss.
jeopardize any chance of something
(= make something less likely to happen )
• This could jeopardize any chance of a ceasefire.
adjectives
a good chance
(= when something is likely )
• I think there is a good chance that he will say yes.
every chance
(= a good chance )
• There’s every chance that the baby will survive.
some chance
• There’s some chance of snow later this week.
a small/slight/slim chance
• He only has a very small chance of being elected. • There’s a slight chance of some sunshine in the west.
no/little/not much chance
• The prisoners knew there was little chance of escape.
a one in three/four/ten etc chance
(= used to say how likely something is )
• People in their 30s have a one in 3,000 chance of getting the disease.
a fair chance
(= a fairly good chance )
• If you work, you have a fair chance of passing the test.
a sporting chance
(= a fairly good chance )
• The proposals had at least a sporting chance of being accepted.
a fighting chance
(= a small but real chance )
• The Republican Party has a fighting chance at the next election.
a fifty-fifty chance
(= an equal chance that something will or will not happen )
• I’d say there is a 50–50 chance that the deal will go through.
an outside/a remote chance
(= a very small chance )
• He still has an outside chance of winning the championship.
a million-to-one chance/a one in a million chance
(= when something is extremely unlikely )
• It must have been a million-to-one chance that we’d meet.
chance 2
verbs
get/have a chance to do something
• I’d like a job in which I get the chance to travel.
give somebody/offer/provide a chance
• I was given the chance to play the main part in the play. • Sport provides a chance for you to get outside with friends.
take a chance
(= accept an opportunity )
• If I was offered the chance to be in the team, I’d take it.
jump at a chance
(= use an opportunity eagerly )
• Ed jumped at the chance to earn some extra money.
grab/seize a chance
(= quickly use an opportunity )
• As soon as she stopped speaking, I grabbed the chance to leave.
miss/lose a chance
(= not use an opportunity )
• He missed a chance to score just before half time.
throw away/pass up/turn down a chance
(= not accept or use an opportunity )
• Imagine throwing up a chance to go to America!
welcome the chance to do something
• I’d welcome the chance to discuss the problem with someone.
deserve a chance
• Every kid deserves a chance in life.
blow a chance
informal (= have a special opportunity and fail to use it )
• He thought he’d blown his chance of happiness.
adjectives
a second chance/another chance
• The interview went badly, so I didn’t think they would give me a second chance.
sb’s last chance
• This is my last chance to try and pass the exam.
phrases
the chance of a lifetime
(= one that you are very unlikely to have again )
• If you don’t decide soon, you’ll have missed the chance of a lifetime.
now’s your chance
spoken (= you have the opportunity to do something now )
• You’re not working so now’s your chance to write a book.
given the chance/given half a chance
(= if there is an opportunity to do something )
• Goats will eat anything, given half a chance.
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