act of God

noun phrase

: an extraordinary interruption by a natural cause (such as a flood or earthquake) of the usual course of events that experience, prescience, or care cannot reasonably foresee or prevent compare force majeure sense 2a

Examples of act of God in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Sometimes, this is a single natural disaster, an act of God—like the avalanche that tore through Kirwin in 1907. — Téa Obreht, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Aug. 2026

The difference, some observers say, is those are deemed acts of God while wildfires are often caused by people. — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 3 Aug. 2026

There are those who insist that what happened last summer was an act of God. — Karen Valby, Vanity Fair, 16 June 2026

All of us are here because, over millennia of acts of God and wars and disease, our ancestors trusted the hours. — Literary Hub, 30 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1611, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for act of God

• amphipod
• arthropod
• copepod
• decapod
• endopod
• escalade
• esplanade
• exopod
• gastropod
• goldenrod
• isopod
• ostracod

Legal Definition

act of God

often capitalized A

: an extraordinary natural event (as a flood or earthquake) that cannot be reasonably foreseen or prevented compare force majeure, inevitable accident, unavoidable accident

Note: It is a defense against liability for injury if the injury is directly and exclusively caused by an act of God.