What does chancing mean?
'Chancing' is the present participle and gerund of the verb 'to chance', a word whose history reaches back through Old French to the Latin verb cadere, meaning 'to fall'. To be chancing something is to undertake it without any guarantee of success — to stake an outcome on luck rather than planning. It can also describe events simply happening by accident, as when two old friends meet after years apart. The word appears in a handful of well-worn idioms, notably the British expression 'to chance one's arm', which means to take a bold gamble, and the phrase 'chancing upon', used for discovering something unexpectedly. While common in both British and American English, 'chancing' carries a slightly informal, conversational tone, often implying boldness, recklessness, or happy serendipity depending on context.
The action of taking risks or relying on luck rather than careful planning.
"Constant chancing is no substitute for a solid strategy."
As a gerund, 'chancing' usually takes a direct object ('chancing his fortune') and appears mostly in idiomatic expressions.
Present participle of 'chance': taking a risk, happening by accident, or discovering something unexpectedly.
"They were chancing their savings on a risky business venture."
Every time you say something happened 'by chance', you're echoing a Latin word that literally meant 'a falling' — luck as things tumbling into place.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of chancing
'Chancing' derives from the verb 'chance', which entered Middle English in the late medieval period from Old French 'cheance', itself formed from Vulgar Latin *cadentia, a derivative of the Latin verb 'cadere', meaning 'to fall'. The underlying image is of events 'falling out' or occurring as they will — hence the modern association with luck and accident. Cognates and relatives include 'cadence', 'incident', and 'decay', all tracing back to the same Latin root.
Related word forms
How chancing is actually used
'Chancing' is most often heard in the British idiom 'to chance one's arm', meaning to take a bold risk. In everyday speech it is less common than the base form 'chance'; speakers more frequently use 'taking a chance' or 'risking it'. The sense of encountering by luck survives mainly in the phrase 'chancing upon'.
Easily confused with chancing
'Chanting' means singing or reciting rhythmically, while 'chancing' involves taking risks or happening by luck.