chances are

phrase

: it is very likely that
Chances are she has already heard the news.

Examples of chances are in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
However, any meaningful rain chances are expected to remain outside North Texas through the weekend. — Michael Autovino, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026 The next chance for rain doesn’t arrive until Friday; even then, chances are slight, around 15 to 25%. — Kansas City Star, 16 Oct. 2026 How to Clean Your Fridge Exterior With Vinegar If your fridge is even remotely close to your oven or stovetop, chances are that its exterior can get pretty greasy from all of your cooking. — Asia London Palomba, The Spruce, 16 Oct. 2026 Though Senate control remains a toss-up, Democrats’ chances are viewed by forecasters to have significantly improved since the summer. — Justine McDaniel, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for chances are

Rhymes for chances are

See All Rhymes for chances are

Browse Nearby Words

chancery
chances are
chance upon
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Chances are.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chances%20are. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All