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co·in·ci·dence | \ kō-ˈin(t)-sə-dən(t)s 
, -sə-ˌden(t)s \
, -sə-ˌden(t)s \Definition of coincidence
1 : the act or condition of coinciding : correspondence … a perfect coincidence between truth and goodness …— Robert South
2 : the occurrence of events that happen at the same time by accident but seem to have some connection
… causal connection requires something more than mere coincidence as to time and place …— Wayne R. LaFave also : any of these occurrences
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Examples of coincidence in a Sentence
It was mere coincidence that brought them together so far from Chicago. By coincidence, every man in the room was named Fred.
“I'm going to Boston this weekend.” “What a coincidence! I am too.”
It was no coincidence that he quit his job at the bank a day after the robbery.
a series of strange coincidences
By a fortunate coincidence, we arrived at the theater at the same time.
Scientists have no explanation for the coincidence of these phenomena.
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Recent Examples on the Web That year, voters agreed to add a red St. Anthony's cross to the flag which, again, could be chalked up to coincidence.
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Aj Willingham, CNN, "Mississippi changing its flag isn't the end of Confederate symbols in state flags," 1 July 2020 Arredondo stressed the Manhattan location in front of Trump Tower was no coincidence.
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Zachary Halaschak, Washington Examiner, "'Symbol of hate': Trump blasts plan to paint 'Black Lives Matter' in front of Trump Tower," 1 July 2020 The gathering of a couple hundred friends in their Over-the-Rhine home on that stormy summer in 2015 was a near coincidence.
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Sarah Haselhorst, The Enquirer, "Marriage equality swept the nation 5 years ago, local couples remember the monumental day," 27 June 2020 But what happened over the past couple of days just didn’t feel like mere coincidence to me.
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Sam Boyer, cleveland, "A higher power had to play a part in this plan: Whit & Whimsey," 26 June 2020 Another complication posed by this imminent dust cloud is its coincidence with COVID-19.
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Jeff Berardelli, CBS News, "Massive Sahara desert dust plume closing in on the United States," 26 June 2020 The film's release on Father's Day is no coincidence with family being another strong theme throughout.
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Steve Gardner, USA TODAY, "Ken Griffey Jr.'s generational talent shines in new MLB Network documentary," 23 June 2020 Some of their best lifesaving ideas were routine medicine and public education, but others came from hunches and coincidence.
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Bruce Selcraig, ExpressNews.com, "San Antonio, still at high risk for COVID-19 deaths, has seen a lower rate than many U.S. urban centers," 22 June 2020 Now, in a timely coincidence with the protests of George Floyd's death at the hands of Minneapolis officers, the Supreme Court has been asked to review a slate of qualified immunity cases, including several questioning the doctrine in its entirety.
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Bonnie Kristian, TheWeek, "How the Supreme Court could change policing in an instant," 5 June 2020
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'coincidence.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for coincidence
coincidence
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of coincidence
: a situation in which events happen at the same time in a way that is not planned or expected
formal : the occurrence of two or more things at the same time
formal : the state of two or more things being the same
See the full definition for coincidence in the English Language Learners Dictionary
coincidence
nounco·in·ci·dence | \ kō-ˈin-sə-dəns \
\Kids Definition of coincidence
1 : a situation in which things happen at the same time without planning
It was a coincidence that we chose the same week for vacation.
2 : a condition of coming together in space or time
The coincidence of the two events was eerie.
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Time Traveler for coincidence
The first known use of coincidence was in 1605
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