kismet

American  

[kiz-met, kis-] / ˈkɪz mɛt, ˈkɪs- /

noun

1. fate; destiny.

   It must have been kismet that brought the bride and groom together a year ago.

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kismet British  

/ ˈkɪzmɛt, ˈkɪs- /

noun

1. Islam the will of Allah

2. fate or destiny

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Usage

What does kismet mean? Kismet means fate or destiny.In Islam, kismet refers to the will of Allah. But it is popularly used to refer to something that one believes was “meant to be”—or the reason why such a thing happened. It can also be spelled kismat, but that’s much less common.Example: We ran into each other on Valentine’s Day, and neither of us had a date, so who was I to deny kismet?

Etymology

Origin of kismet

First recorded in 1840–50; from Turkish, from Persian qismat, from Arabic qisma, qismat- “division, portion, lot, fate,” akin to qasama “(he) divided,” from the (West) Semitic root qsm “to divide, allot”

Example Sentences

They rely on kismet and serendipity to guide them and share a lack of commercial ambition that keeps all in harmony.

From Los Angeles Times

“I didn’t realize how much I needed Chief until I joined. It was kind of kismet.”

From New York Times

The editors who work at Jewish Currents share Ms. Angel’s sense of kismet.

From New York Times

The arrival of the Rubell Museum at this moment in time, it just couldn’t be more kismet, or meant to be, because it elevates the community here in a really unique way.

From Washington Post

Newcomers to Maui often experience a phenomenon known as Maui magic, and meeting Carrie that day was certainly kismet.

From Los Angeles Times