coincidence
Americannoun
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coincidences
plural
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a striking occurrence of two or more events at one time apparently by mere chance.
Our meeting in Venice was pure coincidence.
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the condition or fact of coinciding.
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an instance of this.
noun
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a chance occurrence of events remarkable either for being simultaneous or for apparently being connected
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the fact, condition, or state of coinciding
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(modifier) electronics of or relating to a circuit that produces an output pulse only when both its input terminals receive pulses within a specified interval Compare anticoincidence
coincidence gate
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of coincidence
First recorded in 1595–1605; coincid(ent) + -ence
Explanation
People love to talk about strange coincidences––like you and your mother having the same birthday, or two unrelated families named "The Martins" living next door to each other. A coincidence is something that's not planned or arranged but seems like it is. Technically, a coincidence is an occurrence of events that happen at the same time by total accident––like you and a kid from your class at school both visit the Grand Canyon on the same day. Weird. If some guy is stalking you, always running into you wherever you go, this is not a coincidence. That guy has memorized your schedule.
Vocabulary lists containing coincidence
Wonder
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"The Monkey's Paw" by W. W. Jacobs
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Twelve Angry Men
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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.
See Examples For:
In another space, this would have felt like a wild coincidence, but at Kiko, these serendipitous moments begin to feel almost expected.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
That move wasn’t just coincidence, as data showed that there was a surge in South Korean investment in U.S. equities since March 2025.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 7, 2026
That can make it difficult to determine which bacteria are genuinely associated with disease, which are simply present by coincidence, and which may have protective effects.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 7, 2026
This strange coincidence has nothing to do with Dolly Parton, the singer-songwriter, actress and philanthropist who died Tuesday morning at the age of 80.
From Salon ● Aug. 28, 2026
It can’t be a coincidence that she has continued to appear in my life, coming to me that much more frequently since my mother left, as if laughing at me—taunting me.
From "Hurricane Child" by Kheryn Callender
No exotic assumptions or rare coincidences were necessary.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 17, 2026
As many a TV detective likes to say, there are no such thing as coincidences.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
That enigmatic response got the team at the brokerage Baird to look for coincidences between Dorsey and Satoshi.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 25, 2025
All the coincidences and conflicts are conjured up, per the necessities of a quick-cooking holiday love affair.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 19, 2025
Funny that Mrs. Sharpe was also thinking about coincidences.
From "Chasing Vermeer" by Blue Balliett
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.
