to chance on

Examples

• All

• She chanced on an amazing job opportunity when she attended the networking event.

• I happened to chance on an old friend while walking through the park.

• Someone has to take a chance on me.

  Hollywood Ending (2002)

• Take a chance on life.

  Henry's Crime (2010)

• Take a chance on this guy.

  Love Affair (1994)

• Somebody took a chance on me, you know what I'm saying?

• You listen to women, and you're willing to take a chance on love.

  In Other Words (2020)

• The first step was to persuade the principal to take a chance on an engineering lab at the elementary level.

  Academic text (2012)

• I decided to take a chance on him because he looked like a young Kevin Costner.

  Blog text (10)

• If we want a good, proven coach, we will have to take a chance on Petrino.

  Blog text (14)

Synonyms

D

to discover

vsto chance on

∞ 1.0

To find out about something for the first time, often by chance

is narrower centering on unexpected meetings rather than first time awareness

R

to run into

vsto chance on

338 2.7

Meet someone by chance without planning

is more general covering finding things as well as meeting people

C

to come across

vsto chance on

244 2.6

To find something or someone by chance

is more about lucky accidental meetings than ordinary unexpected finds

S

to stumble

vsto chance on

171 2.8

To find something by chance

is broader covering lucky unexpected meetings as well as accidental encounters

B

to bump

vsto chance on

153 2.8

To meet someone by chance while you are out

is used more for lucky finds rather than accidental physical meetings

C

to come upon

vsto chance on

50 2.2

To find something or someone by chance

is broader applying to meeting people as well as finding things

R

to run across

vsto chance on

43 2.7

Find something by chance while doing something else

is broader not limited to discoveries made during other tasks

H

to happen upon

vsto chance on

15 4.9

Find a person or thing by chance

emphasizes luck or good fortune rather than plain unplanned meeting

H

to hit upon

vsto chance on

7 4.9

To find or think of something by chance

is used more for accidental meetings or finds than idea discovery

F

to fall upon

vsto chance on

5 3.6

To find something by chance

is used more for general unexpected meetings not only sudden finds

C

to chance upon

vsto chance on

3 5.1

Find someone or something by accident

is used when the event is seen as lucky rather than accidental

L

to light upon

vsto chance on

2 5.6

To find something by chance

is used more generally for meeting people as well as finding things

H

to happen along

vsto chance on

1 5.8

To find a person or thing by chance while you are going somewhere

is focused on finding or meeting people or things not just arriving somewhere

Surface Forms

Morphology

Etymology