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Synonyms

by coincidence

Idioms  

  1. Through an accidental simultaneous occurrence, as in By coincidence both researchers discovered the same solution. [Mid-1600s] Also see by chance.

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.

Another possibility is that some early dinosaurs happened to have feet that closely resembled bird feet by coincidence.

From Science Daily • Feb. 1, 2026

And by coincidence, the Hurricanes will be playing for the championship at home at Hard Rock Stadium in South Florida.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 10, 2026

Days before I sat down for my conversation with John Lithgow, and purely by coincidence, I watched “The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension” for the first time in decades.

From Salon • Sep. 25, 2024

The entry to the space is accessible, but only by coincidence.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 28, 2023

They had been tracking down the source of the American counterfeit money that showed up in Morocco, and by coincidence arrived at the Chelsea just seconds after the FBI.

From "Hole in My Life" by Jack Gantos

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.