perchance

adverb
per·​chance | \ pər-ˈchan(t)s How to pronounce perchance (audio) \

Definition of perchance

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Examples of perchance in a Sentence

“To sleep: perchance to dream…” — Shakespeare, Hamlet perchance he is playing the devil's advocate, and the opinions he has expressed are not actually his own

Recent Examples on the Web

To sleep, perchance to heal A report in the journal Nature Communications adds to the list of sleep’s benefits. Magnus Wennman, National Geographic, "See our three favorite scientific breakthroughs this month," 17 June 2019 To sleep, perchance to dream of a giant plate of nachos. Gray Chapman, SELF, "A Nightmare About Nachos Made Me Realize That Dieting Was Causing Me Food Anxiety," 27 Mar. 2019 Its members liked to call themselves kleagles, goblins and other names of darkling potency, to meet in solemn 'konklaves,' burn a fiery cross upon a distant hill and, perchance, frighten a Negro child outnumbered 100 to 1. The Washington Post, AL.com, "An Alabama-born preacher helped revive the KKK in 1915," 10 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'perchance.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of perchance

14th century, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for perchance

Middle English parchaunce, from Anglo-French par chance, by chance

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More Definitions for perchance

perchance

adverb

English Language Learners Definition of perchance

old-fashioned + literary : maybe but not definitely

perchance

adverb
per·​chance | \ pər-ˈchans How to pronounce perchance (audio) \

Kids Definition of perchance