3 N‑COUNT A chamber is a room designed and equipped for a particular purpose. □ For many, the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.
4 → see also gas chamber
cham|ber|lain /tʃe I mbə r l I n/ (chamberlains ) N‑COUNT A chamberlain is the person who is in charge of the household affairs of a king, queen, or person of high social rank.
chamber|maid /tʃe I mbə r me I d/ (chambermaids ) N‑COUNT A chambermaid is a woman who cleans and tidies the bedrooms in a hotel.
cha m|ber mu|sic N‑UNCOUNT Chamber music is classical music written for a small number of instruments.
cha m|ber of co m|merce (chambers of commerce ) N‑COUNT A chamber of commerce is an organization of businessmen that promotes local commercial interests. [BUSINESS ]
cha m|ber or|ches|tra (chamber orchestras ) N‑COUNT A chamber orchestra is a small orchestra which plays classical music.
cha m|ber pot (chamber pots ) N‑COUNT A chamber pot is a round container shaped like a very large cup. Chamber pots used to be kept in bedrooms so that people could urinate in them instead of having to leave their room during the night.
cha|me|le|on /kəmiː liən/ (chameleons ) N‑COUNT A chameleon is a kind of lizard whose skin changes colour to match the colour of its surroundings.
cham|ois /ʃæ mi/ (chamois ) Pronounced /ʃæ mwɑː/ for meaning 1 in British English. 1 N‑COUNT Chamois are small animals rather like goats that live in the mountains of Europe and South West Asia.
2 N‑COUNT A chamois or a chamois leather is a soft leather cloth used for cleaning and polishing.
chamo|mile /kæ məma I l/ → see camomile
champ /tʃæ mp/ (champs ) N‑COUNT [oft n N ] A champ is the same as a champion . [INFORMAL ] □ …the reigning European heavyweight champ.
cham|pagne /ʃæ mpe I n/ (champagnes ) N‑VAR Champagne is an expensive French white wine with bubbles in. It is often drunk to celebrate something.
cham|pers /ʃæ mpə r z/ N‑UNCOUNT Champers is champagne. [BRIT , INFORMAL ]
cham|pi|on ◆◆◇ /tʃæ mpiən/ (champions , championing , championed )
1 N‑COUNT A champion is someone who has won the first prize in a competition, contest, or fight. □ …a former Commonwealth champion. □ Kasparov became world champion. □ …a champion boxer and skier.
2 N‑COUNT If you are a champion of a person, a cause, or a principle, you support or defend them. □ [+ of ] He was once known as a champion of social reform.
3 VERB If you champion a person, a cause, or a principle, you support or defend them. □ [V n] He passionately championed the poor. □ [be V -ed + by] The amendments had been championed by pro-democracy activists. SYNONYMS champion NOUN 1
winner: The winner was a horse called Last Town.
victor: He was the eventual victor.
conqueror: He easily overcame Garcia, Saturday's conqueror of Ernie Els.
cham|pi|on|ship ◆◆◇ /tʃæ mpiənʃ I p/ (championships )
1 N‑COUNT A championship is a competition to find the best player or team in a particular sport. □ …the world chess championship.
2 N‑SING The championship refers to the title or status of being a sports champion. □ This season I expect us to retain the championship and win the European Cup.
chance ◆◆◆ /tʃɑː ns, tʃæ ns/ (chances , chancing , chanced )
1 N‑VAR [N that] If there is a chance of something happening, it is possible that it will happen. □ [+ of ] Do you think they have a chance of beating Australia? □ [+ of ] This partnership has a good chance of success. □ [+ of ] The specialist who carried out the brain scan thought Tim's chances of survival were still slim. □ There was really very little chance that Ben would ever have led a normal life.
2 N‑COUNT [usu N to-inf] If you have a chance to do something, you have the opportunity to do it. □ The electoral council announced that all eligible people would get a chance to vote. □ I felt I had to give him a chance. [Also + for ]
3 ADJ [ADJ n] A chance meeting or event is one that is not planned or expected. □ …a chance meeting. ● N‑UNCOUNT Chance is also a noun. □ …a victim of chance and circumstance.
4 VERB If you chance to do something or chance on something, you do it or find it although you had not planned or tried to. [FORMAL ] □ [V to-inf] It was just then that I chanced to look round. □ [V + upon/on/across ] They once holidayed in Rome and chanced upon a bar called The Seamus Heaney.
5 VERB If you chance something, you do it even though there is a risk that you may not succeed or that something bad may happen. □ [V it ] Andy knew the risks. I cannot believe he would have chanced it. □ [V n] He decided no assassin would chance a shot from amongst that crowd.
6 → see also off-chance
7 PHRASE Something that happens by chance was not planned by anyone. □ He had met Mr Maude by chance.
8 PHRASE You can use by any chance when you are asking questions in order to find out whether something that you think might be true is actually true. □ Are they by any chance related?
9 PHRASE If you say that someone stands a chance of achieving something, you mean that they are likely to achieve it. If you say that someone doesn't stand a chance of achieving something, you mean that they cannot possibly achieve it. □ [+ of ] Being very good at science subjects, I stood a good chance of gaining high grades. □ [+ of ] Neither is seen as standing any chance of snatching the leadership from him.