four-leaf clover

American

[fawr-leef, fohr-] / ˈfɔrˌlif, ˈfoʊr- /

noun

a clover leaf having four leaflets instead of the usual three, purported to bring good luck.

four-leaf clover British

noun

a clover with four leaves rather than three, supposed to bring good luck
another name for cloverleaf

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of four-leaf clover

First recorded in 1840–50

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.

Now, Lowry no longer needs a four-leaf clover in his pocket as he tries to win his first green jacket.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026

Taking to instagram on Thursday, Anderson posted a Dior label accompanied by a four-leaf clover to confirm the news.

From BBC • Apr. 17, 2025

She plucked a four-leaf clover as a toddler and never looked back.

From Slate • Apr. 6, 2024

The lucky ones, though, come across something that’s harder to find: a four-leaf clover.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 15, 2024

Hemoglobin A, the most intensively studied version of the molecule, is shaped like a four-leaf clover.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023