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Synonyms

out of luck

Idioms  

  1. Having bad fortune, experiencing a misfortune, as in You're out of luck if you want a copy; we just sold the last one. This expression, first recorded in 1867, assumes that good fortune is a finite quantity that one can run out of. However, it generally applies to more temporary circumstances than being down on one's luck.

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.

If no Roth option is available, workers making over $150,000 in 2025 wanting to make catch-up contributions will be out of luck.

From MarketWatch

What I fear here – and I think ICE probably knows this – is that more often than not, a person who may not have legal standing to be in the country, notwithstanding the fact that there was a Fourth Amendment violation by ICE, may ultimately be out of luck.

From Salon

A season defined by improbable comebacks looked like it was finally running out of luck.

From The Wall Street Journal

Those hoping for recent momentum in soybean futures to continue, and potentially lead to profitable acreage, are probably out of luck.

From The Wall Street Journal

Investors looking to wind down early ahead of the holidays are out of luck this year.

From Barron's

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.