godsend
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of godsend
1805–15; earlier God's send, variant (by influence of send 1 ) of God's sond or sand, Middle English Godes sand ( sand Old English: message, service)
Explanation
A godsend is something very lucky or helpful — some event or item for which you're incredibly thankful. If you don't have time for breakfast and forget to bring your lunch to school, your friend's extra slice of pizza is a godsend. If you're grateful for something, you can call it a godsend. A school snow day is a godsend if you're not quite ready for your chemistry midterm, and your homeowner's insurance is a godsend when a huge tree falls on your roof. In both of these examples, you are relieved and happy, and if you're a believer, you might say, "Thank God." In Middle English, it's Godes sonde, "gift from God."
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.
Depending on who the reporter asked, Chip and Joanna’s town-wide “restoration” has been a Godsend or a blight.
From Salon • Nov. 19, 2023
For them the hydro has been a Godsend.
From BBC • Oct. 28, 2022
His code-name was "Godsend" and he worked at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico.
From Fox News • Dec. 4, 2019
Suddenly, he started seeing references to the Seborers, and major parts of the atomic puzzle fell into place: Oscar was Godsend, Stuart was Godfather and their older brother Max was Relative.
From New York Times • Nov. 23, 2019
For the unaffiliated—by far the larger part of each class—the new club-house will be a Godsend.
From An American at Oxford by Corbin, John
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.
