1
as in to encounter
to come upon face-to-face or as if face-to-face
chanced upon my archenemy as I rounded a corner
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to find
to come upon unexpectedly or by chance
I chanced upon your mother in the grocery store yesterday
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chance (upon)
Verb
-
Parasite’s portrayal of these upstairs-downstairs dynamics is even more overt; the members of the struggling Kim household, who live in a basement-level apartment and juggle odd jobs, alight on a crafty employment scheme after encountering an ultra-wealthy family.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
12 Mar. 2025 -
The Portuguese encountered the fruit during their trade in South India in the 15th–16th centuries and brought both the word and the fruit to Europe and other parts of the world.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes,
12 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Many focused on the birdies and course-tying score, but leave it up to golf stat guru Justin Ray to find another impressive stat to pile onto Thomas' performance.—
Mark Davis,
Newsweek,
15 Mar. 2025
-
The prior-generation Long-Range Rear-Wheel Drive, the Long-Range All-Wheel Drive, and Performance All-Wheel Drive are only found on the inventory page now – where they are being heavily discounted in some cases.—
Brooke Crothers,
Forbes,
15 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
San Diego college basketball teams are meeting the moment and making history.—
Kate Murphy,
Axios,
17 Mar. 2025
-
Yet, despite its importance, the world's largest copper mines in regions like Chile, Peru and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are struggling to meet demand amid a global shortage, all while grappling with escalating environmental concerns.—
Scott Neuman,
NPR,
16 Mar. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Chance (upon).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chance%20%28upon%29. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share