a fighting chance

fighting chance

A small possibility to succeed or overcome a situation. David wanted to give his marriage a fighting chance so he agreed to go to counseling with his wife. If I'm going to have a fighting chance to pass this test, I'm going to have to study all night.

a ˌfighting ˈchance

a slight but real chance of succeeding, avoiding something, etc: With five minutes of the game left, our team still has a fighting chance of winning. ♢ Things don’t look very hopeful for John Brown in the presidential elections, but he’s still in with a fighting chance.

fighting chance, a

A possibility of success through great effort. An Americanism dating from the late nineteenth century, this phrase has been used in a large variety of contexts. For example, “Free school breakfasts and lunches will give these inner-city children a fighting chance of graduating,” or “Hunting with a bow and arrow gives the deer a fighting chance.”