luck

luck — noun

1. an invisible power that brings good events into your life by accident, not becau

1.nounA2
Definition

an invisible power that brings good events into your life by accident, not because you planned or worked for them.

Example

Kofi found a hundred dollars on the street — what incredible luck!

collocation: incredible / pure / amazing luck

Eliska touched the wooden table for good luck before she went on stage.

common phrase: for good luck (ritual/gesture)

Common collocations
  • good luck
  • bad luck
  • pure luck
  • incredible luck
  • amazing luck
  • a stroke of luck
  • a piece of luck
  • a run of luck
  • with any luck
Synonyms
  • fortune

    more formal; 'fortune' can also mean wealth, while 'luck' cannot

  • serendipity

    formal; describes happy accidents, especially discoveries

  • providence

    formal or religious; implies a guiding divine force, not blind chance

Antonyms
  • misfortune

    formal term for bad luck or an unlucky event

Grammar Patterns

have + luck

wish (someone) + luck

a stroke of + luck

Usage Note

Uncountable noun — never 'a luck' or 'lucks'. Common with adjectives such as good, bad, pure, incredible, amazing. The phrase 'good luck' can be an exclamation (wishing someone success) or a noun phrase ('She has good luck with everything').

Common Mistakes

I hope you have a good luck today.
I hope you have good luck today.
luck is uncountable, so no article 'a'.
His lucks ran out after the accident.
His luck ran out after the accident.
luck has no plural form.

2. the situation of getting the result you wanted, when that result depends mainly

2.nounB1
Definition

the situation of getting the result you wanted, when that result depends mainly on chance rather than skill.

Example

Manuela had no luck finding a rental apartment in her price range.

negative pattern: have no luck + -ing

Henry tried three different shops but had no luck with the book.

negative pattern: have no luck with [noun]

Common collocations
  • have luck
  • no luck
  • any luck
  • some luck
  • good luck (with something)
Synonyms
  • success

    broader — success can come from effort; 'luck' always implies chance played a part

Grammar Patterns

have + (no / any / some) + luck + with + noun

have + (no / any / some) + luck + -ing

Usage Note

In this sense, 'luck' is used informally to ask about or describe the outcome of an effort. Questions like 'Any luck?' and answers like 'No luck so far' are very common in everyday speech. The focus is on the result, not the abstract force.

Common Mistakes

I asked him if he had lucky finding the keys.
I asked him if he had luck finding the keys.
use 'luck' (noun), not 'lucky' (adjective).
She had luck yesterday but unluck today.
She had luck yesterday but no luck today.
for the noun sense, use 'no luck' as the opposite, not 'unluck'.

3. the unpredictable force that decides what happens in people's lives, producing e

3.nounB2
Definition

the unpredictable force that decides what happens in people's lives, producing either good or bad results that they cannot control through their own actions.

Example

Bao believes that luck plays a big part in every success story.

collocation: luck plays a (big) part / role

By a stroke of luck, the train arrived just as Christopher reached the platform.

fixed phrase: a stroke of luck (sudden fortunate event)

Common collocations
  • by luck
  • a stroke of luck
  • a twist of luck
  • the work of luck
  • luck plays a part
  • a matter of luck
Synonyms
  • chance

    more neutral; 'chance' lacks the layer of personal fortune that 'luck' carries

  • fate

    stronger; implies that outcomes are fixed in advance, not random

  • destiny

    stronger and more positive; suggests a planned future, not blind chance

  • fortune

    more formal; similar neutral range from good to bad

Grammar Patterns

by + luck

as + luck + would + have + it

a matter of + luck

Usage Note

This sense is more neutral than sense 1 — it can refer to good or bad outcomes. It appears in many fixed expressions such as 'as luck would have it', 'by luck', 'a twist of luck'. Unlike sense 1, it is not limited to positive fortune, and it is often used to talk about how events unfold in a way that people cannot explain.

Idioms

used to wish someone success or a good outcome before they do something difficult or important.

Good luck with your driving test tomorrow — I am sure you will pass.

Best of luck to everyone running the marathon this weekend.

used to express sympathy when something unpleasant has happened to someone.

Oh, bad luck! You were so close to winning the game.

Hard luck, Tuan — I know you trained really hard for that race.

used to ask whether someone has been successful in something they were trying to do.

Any luck finding your keys? I have been looking everywhere for mine too.

I asked Joaquín, 'Any luck with the job applications?' and he just shook his head.

used to describe how chance decided what happened, often in a way that is surprising or convenient.

As luck would have it, Imran ran into his childhood friend at the exact same café.

As luck would have it, the only hotel with a free room was the cheapest one in town.

experiencing a long period of bad luck, especially involving financial problems.

After losing his job and his apartment, Christopher was really down on his luck.

The shelter provides meals and beds for people who are down on their luck.

said when something bad happens to you in a way that feels typical of your bad fortune.

Just my luck — I waited an hour for the bus, and then it broke down after two stops.

Just my luck that it started raining right when I hung the washing outside.

to take an extra risk because you have already been successful, in a way that may cause you to lose what you have gained.

You have already asked Dad for a raise twice — do not push your luck.

Emre knew he was pushing his luck by arriving late for the third time that week.

to attempt something that involves risk, hoping to succeed even though success is not guaranteed.

Imani decided to try her luck at the singing competition even though she was nervous.

We tried our luck at the casino but left after losing twenty dollars.

a sudden, unexpected piece of good fortune.

By an incredible stroke of luck, the missing passport was found in a library book.

It was a real stroke of luck that Élise's neighbour happened to be a plumber.

used either to express sympathy (kind) or to show that you do not feel sorry for someone (dismissive), depending on context.

Tough luck, Mira — I know you wanted that promotion badly.

If you forgot to set your alarm, tough luck — the bus left ten minutes ago.

You say this to show you feel sorry for someone who has had something bad happen.

Bad luck, Sara—you almost won the race.

It's hard luck on Diego that his flight was cancelled.

To have very little money because you have had a period of bad luck.

After losing his job, Tom was down on his luck.

Maya helped a family that was down on their luck.

You say this to encourage someone who has not succeeded at something.

You didn't win this time, but better luck next time.

Better luck next time, Brian—you tried hard.

You do something for luck because you believe it will bring good luck or because it is a tradition.

I always wear my lucky socks for luck.

She kissed the dice for luck before rolling them.

You say this when you do not mind what someone does and you hope they succeed.

If he wants to start his own business, good luck to him.

Good luck to her—she deserves a break.

You say this to show that you feel sorry for someone who has had something bad happen.

Hard luck, Min—you were so close to winning.

Oh, hard luck—better luck next time.

You say this when something bad happens to you and you are not surprised because you are usually unlucky.

Just my luck to find the store closed.

Just his luck to get a flat tire on the highway.

You say this when someone has been lucky or successful.

I found a parking spot right away—my luck is in!

Her luck was in when she won the lottery.

The idea that chance decides something and you cannot control it.

Who you meet in life is often the luck of the draw.

Getting a good teacher is just the luck of the draw.

You say this when something you hoped for did not happen, and you are disappointed.

Did you get the job? No such luck.

I hoped for a sunny day, but no such luck.

When you take pot luck, you choose something or go somewhere without knowing much about it, hoping it will be good.

We took pot luck and picked a restaurant at random.

You're welcome to dinner, but it's pot luck.

To take a risk because you have been lucky before, even though it might cause problems.

You passed the test once, but don't push your luck.

He was late again—he's really pushing it.

To do something that involves risk or luck, hoping to succeed.

She decided to try her luck at the casino.

He tried his luck in the music industry.

You say this to show that you are disappointed about something.

I have to work on Saturday, worse luck!

We missed the last train, worse luck.

luck — verb

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

While 'luck' (noun/1) refers to a force that brings good events by accident, the four synonyms differ in scope and connotation. 'Fortune' is more formal and can also mean wealth ('a fortune' = a lot of money). 'Chance' is purely neutral — it describes random possibility without any suggestion of good or bad outcomes, whereas 'luck' is almost always evaluated as good or bad. 'Fate' and 'destiny' are stronger: they imply that events are fixed in advance by some power, not that they happen randomly. 'Fate' can be good or bad ('a cruel fate'), while 'destiny' tends to be positive and grand ('destiny made them leaders'). For everyday situations where you simply mean something good happened unexpectedly, 'luck' is the most natural choice. For example: 'It was pure luck that I found my keys' sounds natural; 'It was pure destiny that I found my keys' would sound overly dramatic.

Common collocations

Phrases

  • a stroke of luck
  • a run of luck
  • a piece of luck
  • a bit of luck
  • a matter of luck
  • by luck

Prepositions

Etymology

Middle DutchEnglish

The word 'luck' entered English in the 1400s from Middle Dutch 'luk', meaning happiness or good fortune, and is related to the German word 'Glück' (luck, happiness). Before this borrowing, Old English did not have a direct equivalent — people used words like 'wyrd' (fate) or 'gesǣlig' (blessed/happy) to express similar ideas. The modern sense of luck as an impersonal force that randomly distributes good or bad outcomes developed over the following centuries.