four-leaf clover

American  

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

noun

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

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four-leaf clover British  

noun

1. a clover with four leaves rather than three, supposed to bring good luck

2. another name for cloverleaf

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Etymology

Origin of four-leaf clover

First recorded in 1840–50

Example Sentences

After her father found a four-leaf clover, he taped it to a piece of paper and gave it to her.

From The Wall Street Journal

There was a bright blue eye, a four-leaf clover covered in resin, a horseshoe.

From Literature

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

From BBC

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

From Slate

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

From Seattle Times