luck
noun
the force that seems to operate for good or ill in a person's life, as in shaping circumstances, events, or opportunities.
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luck
1 American
[luhk]
/ lʌk /
noun
-
luck
plural
-
the force that seems to operate for good or ill in a person's life, as in shaping circumstances, events, or opportunities.
With my luck I'll probably get pneumonia.
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good fortune; advantage or success, considered as the result of chance.
He had no luck finding work.
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a combination of circumstances, events, etc., operating by chance to bring good or ill to a person.
She's had nothing but bad luck all year.
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some object on which good fortune is supposed to depend.
This rabbit's foot is my luck.
verb phrase
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luck out to have an instance or run of exceptionally good luck.
He lucked out when he made a hole in one during the tournament.
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luck into / onto to meet, acquire, become, etc., by good luck.
She lucked into a great job.
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luck upon to come across by chance.
to luck upon a profitable investment.
idioms
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in luck, lucky; fortunate.
We were in luck, for the bakery was still open.
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out of luck, unlucky; unfortunate.
When it comes to getting World Series tickets, we're usually out of luck.
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luck of the draw, the luck one has in or as if in drawing cards.
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push one's luck, to try to make too much of an opportunity; go too far. Also crowd one's luck.
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down on one's luck, in unfortunate circumstances; unlucky.
She hated to see her old friend so down on her luck.
Łuck
2
American
[lootsk, wootsk]
/ lutsk, wutsk /
noun
luck
British
/ lʌk /
noun
-
events that are beyond control and seem subject to chance; fortune
-
success or good fortune
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something considered to bring good luck
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having little or no good luck to the point of suffering hardships
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informal unfortunately not
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to attempt something that is uncertain
luck
More Idioms
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of luck
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English luk, from Middle Dutch luc, shortened from gelucke; cognate with German Glück
Explanation
Luck is chance or happenstance. If something happens from pure good luck, it seemingly came out of nowhere, based only on fate and not on anything you did to make it happen. If you find a fifty dollar bill on the sidewalk, you might exclaim, "What luck!" Alternately, if you lose all night at the poker table, you'll probably blame it on bad luck. In both examples, you're referring to a mysterious, unpredictable circumstance that affects your life by chance. Luck has a Middle Dutch root, luc, which is a shortened form of gheluc, "happiness or good fortune."
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 it’s time to wish good luck to Portugal and all my teammates, without exception.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026
"I do that for years and nothing ever happened of course until something did happen now, so I will not do that anymore and don't try your luck", the 38-year-old added.
From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026
You might be capable of drawing a nifty cartoon, but good luck selling it on the blockchain.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026
Poverty, bad luck and mental illness can also play a role.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026
As luck would have it, a neighbor of his was traveling the same road, on business.
From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
