Phrase guide

by chance

prep_phrase · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

prep_phrase

Meaning 1

Unexpectedly, accidentally; without foreplanning.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • I stumbled across the exit by chance.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

prep_phrase

Meaning 2

Possibly; perhaps.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Are you by chance looking for the exit?

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: by any chance

Antonyms: none provided

3

adverb

Meaning 3

without advance planning

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • they met accidentally

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: accidentally, circumstantially, unexpectedly

Antonyms: none provided

4

adverb

Meaning 4

by accident

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • betrayed by a word haply overheard

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: haply, by luck

Antonyms: none provided

5

adverb

Meaning 5

through chance,

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • To sleep, perchance to dream..

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: perchance

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

65 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: صُدْفَةً (ṣudfatan) — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • Arabic: بِصُدْفَة (biṣudfa) — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • Arabic: بالصدفة — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • Belarusian: выпадко́ва (vypadkóva) — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • Bulgarian: случа́йно (slučájno) — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • Catalan: per atzar — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • Catalan: per casualitat — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • Catalan: casualment — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • Cebuano: salagma — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • Chinese Mandarin: 碰巧 (pèngqiǎo) — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • Chinese Mandarin: 湊巧 /凑巧 (còuqiǎo) — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • Chinese Mandarin: 恰巧 (qiàqiǎo) — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • Chinese Mandarin: 剛好 /刚好 (gānghǎo) — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • Chinese Mandarin: 偶然 (ǒurán) — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • Czech: náhodou — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • Danish: tilfældigt — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • Dutch: toevallig — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • Esperanto: okaze — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • Esperanto: hazarde — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • Finnish: sattumalta — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • Finnish: sattumoisin — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • French: d'aventure — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • French: par hasard — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • French: par rencontre — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • German: zufällig — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • German: von ungefähr — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • Greek: τυχαία (tychaía) — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • Hungarian: véletlenül — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • Ido: hazarde — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • Italian: per caso — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • Italian: casualmente — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • Japanese: 偶然 (gūzen) — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • Korean: 우연히 (uyeonhi) — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • Latin: fortuītō — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • Latin: casu — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • Latin: temere — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • Macedonian: случајно (slučajno) — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • Norwegian Bokmål: tilfeldigvis — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: tilfeldigvis — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • Persian: اتفاقاً (ettefâqan) — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • Polish: przypadkowo — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • Polish: przypadkiem — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • Portuguese: por acaso — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • Portuguese: casualmente — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • Romanian: din întâmplare — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • Romanian: din noroc — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • Russian: случа́йно (slučájno) — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • Scottish Gaelic: le tuiteamas — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • Serbo-Croatian: слу̏ча̄јно — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • Serbo-Croatian: slȕčājno — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • Slovak: náhodou — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • Slovene: slučajno — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • Spanish: por casualidad — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • Spanish: de casualidad — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • Spanish: con casualidad (Americanism) — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • Spanish: casualmente — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • Spanish: por incidencia — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • Swahili: kwa nasibu — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • Swedish: av en slump — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • Turkish: şans eseri — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • Ukrainian: випадко́во (vypadkóvo) — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • Urdu: اچانک (aćānak) — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • Urdu: اچانک سے (aćānak sē) — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • Vietnamese: tình cờ — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)
  • Walloon: d' astcheyance — unexpected(ly); accidental(ly)