out of luck

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

But smaller firms without global presences will be out of luck.

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AWS has data hubs all around the country, and it advised users to switch to any of the others — but with the Virginia hub out of service, that left users out of luck if they hadn’t implemented a workaround before this glitch.

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Depending on your age or your home state, you could be out of luck.

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Students with special needs, as well as those whose families cannot afford to participate, will be out of luck.

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But if Costco isn’t in your weekly orbit, you’re not out of luck.

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Related Words

• adverse 
• damaging 
• deplorable 
• disastrous 
• inappropriate 
• inauspicious 
• lamentable 
• regrettable 
• unlucky 
• untoward