Meaning

2 senses

  1. (literary, rare, uncountable)Chance, luck, fortune; the random or unplanned quality of an event. (frequently in by hapchance)

  2. (countable, literary, rare)A chance occurrence; an accident, a coincidence.

Origin

hap (“luck, fortune, chance”) + chance (“chance, fortune”): a tautological compound, in wh

hap (“luck, fortune, chance”) + chance (“chance, fortune”): a tautological compound, in which both elements independently mean “chance”. Compare the similarly redundant haphazard (hap + hazard), and the synonymous happenchance and happenstance. Recorded from 1866, but attested chiefly in literary prose of the 20th century.

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Forms

plural: hapchances

Synonyms

6 synonyms
chanceA2happenstanceC2luckA1haphappenchancefluke

Word family

8 related words
RelatedhaphazardC2happenA1happenstanceC2haphaplyhappenchancemayhapperchance

Lessons for this word

1 lessons

See also

neighbours in the dictionary
hanjahankhankerhaphazardC2haplessC2
hapchance — meaning, examples, forms, synonyms | Krumeto