to take chances
36
3.8
- phrasal verb
:
arriesgarse
- If you don't take chances in life, you'll never have the life God has for you.
So much of life is taking chances but also cutting our losses.
- So much of life is taking chances but also cutting our losses.
- You stop taking chances, you stop suggesting new things.
- I've always told everybody take chances, take risks.
- Yeah, be more fearless and take chances to step up where maybe people are hiding.
- There's something to be said about taking chances when you are still an unknown.
- You have to know when to turn it on and when to turn it off, and you have to take chances to become a household name.
- And then again, whatever situation allows you to keep taking chances because it's a, it's a batting average thing.
- I think it can be, you know, you can accumulate the ability to have, you know, to deal with fear and take chances.
- And, you know, I, this doesn't bode well for dating because dating really involves taking chances.
Examples
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But moments before zero hour, it did not pay to take chances.
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But at the same time, you have to take chances if you want to have the best possible life.
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So, you know, I was always going fast, taking chances, doing things.
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We have to take chances with and on each other and those who are looking for safety.
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You like to take chances?
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You were never willing to take chances.
-
As a Black woman, I feel like as time progresses, there are people who are willing to take chances with me, and I appreciate them.
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I've always told everybody take chances, take risks.
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The studios were desperate and they said, well, we've got to take chances now, which we hate to do here in Hollywood.
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If you want to achieve your dreams, you need to take chances and step out of your comfort zone.
Synonyms
∞
3.0
To do something that may cause harm or lead to loss
91
3.3
To do something risky hoping for a good result
64
4.0
To take a risk hoping for a good result
56
3.2
Do things that might be dangerous to get something important
37
6.1
To risk doing or saying something to support an idea
11
5.7
Make a brave decision even when it feels risky
9
7.3
Take an unnecessary risk that might cause bad luck
7
4.2
To do something risky hoping to get a good result
7
6.4
To risk everything to try to succeed
5
7.3
Try something risky to get a big reward
4
4.2
Try a risky action hoping it will work
2
3.0
To do something that might lead to harm or loss
1
8.2
To risk everything you have on one choice
1
8.5
To try something risky when the result is not certain
1
7.3
To do something risky without knowing what will happen
Take a chance to get a reward
Antonyms
How Risky
- Informal
1
8.2
56
3.2
64
4.0
36
3.8
91
3.3
Surface Forms
Morphology
take + chance
The meaning 'to do something that involves risk' is directly derivable from combining 'take' (to accept or assume) with 'chance(s)' (risk or opportunity); the verb–noun composition is compositional rather than idiomatic. This construction has clear parallels in many languages (e.g. Spanish 'tomar riesgos', French 'prendre des risques'), so an average B1 learner who knows the constituent words will comprehend it.
Etymology
Take chances comes from the image of take meaning 'to accept' and chances meaning 'risks'; imagine stepping off a safe road onto a narrow, risky path. That's why it means 'to do something that involves risk, hoping for a good result'.