coincidence

noun

co·in·ci·dence | \kō-ˈin(t)-sə-dən(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

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about coincidence

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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.

Recent Examples on the Web

Related Graduates say that is no coincidence, since the student body, largely Catholic, tends to skew politically conservative. — Michelle Hackman, WSJ, "The All-Boys High School Producing GOP Bigwigs," 11 July 2018 The fact that this happened in a newspaper is no coincidence. — Emma Green, The Atlantic, "The Capital Gazette Won’t Stop Reporting," 29 June 2018 The portfolio of small batch wines clad in old-school tattoo labels is mostly Mediterranean-themed, with solid white and red Grenache wines and fragrant Viognier, a recurring phenomenon in this region, probably not a coincidence. — Tim Teichgraeber, SFChronicle.com, "Five vineyards you must see in Oregon’s lesser-known Rogue Valley region," 23 May 2018 This design flourish was no coincidence; the restaurant, until around 2014, was a combination KFC-Taco Bell. — Nate Berg, Curbed, "McDonald’s 2.0," 11 Apr. 2018 And that’s no coincidence. Wage suppression is just like a tax: a tax on the labor of workers. — Suresh Naidu, Eric Posner, Vox, "More and more companies have monopoly power over workers’ wages. That’s killing the economy.," 6 Apr. 2018 Joy realized this was no coincidence, and there was a high chance the odor was related to the disease. — Olivia St. John, Woman's Day, "This Woman Says She Can Smell Parkinson's Disease Before Any Symptoms Appear," 23 Oct. 2015 Physicists and astronomers, however, aren't usually convinced that two phenomena are connected until there's no more than a one in 3.5 million, or 5 sigma, probability of a coincidence. — Daniel Clery, Science | AAAS, "Ghostly particle caught in polar ice ushers in new way to look at the universe," 12 July 2018 This accounts, in a philosophical sort of way, for de la Pava’s explicit embrace of the principles of screwball comedy—specifically, its reliance on the idea of coincidence. — Elif Batuman, The New Yorker, "A Public Defender’s Polyphonic Novel of Football and Social Justice," 30 Apr. 2018

These 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.