hap
1 Americannoun
-
one's luck or lot.
-
an occurrence, happening, or accident.
verb (used without object)
noun
verb (used with object)
noun
noun
-
luck; chance
-
an occurrence
verb
verb
noun
Etymology
Origin of hap1
First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English, from Old Norse happ “luck, chance”; akin to Old English gehæp “fit, convenient”; probably akin to Old Church Slavonic kobŭ “auspice,” Old Irish cob “victory”
Origin of hap2
1350–1400; Middle English happen to cover; perhaps blend of lappen lap 2 and Old French happer to seize
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Ngheu and chem chap hap sa, steamed clams and mussels, come in a buttery lemongrass broth.
From New York Times • Mar. 15, 2022
How then had a man so singularly drained of hap as the 57-year-old Israeli ended up controlling Chelsea, Portsmouth and West Ham United?
From The Guardian • Jul. 14, 2011
Whatsoever, in the years to be, may hap to this new venture of mine ... it is for you, the peoples of Great and Greater Britain.
From Time Magazine Archive
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They reckoned that the British had been able to land at most four divisions, at most 100,000 men � tough, tan, eager, hap py, seasoned Australians, New Zealanders and Britons, spoiling to avenge Dunkirk.
From Time Magazine Archive
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When one has such a dream and the predicted event hap pens, it’s hard not to believe in precognition.
From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.