happenstance
noun
, ˈha-pᵊm-\
Definition of happenstance
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Examples of happenstance in a Sentence
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Indeed, McCullough himself discovered much of that history quite by happenstance. — John Daniel Davidson, National Review, "Founders of the Frontier: David McCullough Discovers Ohio’s Puritan Pioneers," 11 July 2019 For all the time spent planning, so much of life comes down to happenstance. — Nancy Armour, USA TODAY, "Opinion: US women's soccer reaping benefits of what England started with coach Jill Ellis," 1 July 2019 The story goes that Rivera joined the band by pure happenstance: Dylan was driving through downtown Manhattan and spotted her on the street, carrying her violin, and invited her to audition. — Jon Pareles, New York Times, "Bob Dylan’s Glam Hootenanny: Returning to Rolling Thunder," 5 June 2019 How the Eagles landed a commitment from the 6-foot-3-inch Thornton on Monday, solidifying another explosive guard to run their offense, is a combination of timing and hoop happenstance. — Julian Benbow, BostonGlobe.com, "Boston College basketball lands grad transfer Derryck Thornton to play guard," 17 June 2019 And the third thing is sort of breaking news, happenstance, people who are admired. — Amanda Mitchell, Marie Claire, "Tina Brown on 10 Years of Women in the World," 11 Apr. 2019 Calendars, like culture and language, are unruly things that have arisen organically by happenstance. — Quanta Magazine, "Is It Friday the 13th Again?," 6 Apr. 2017 The litany of inequities black people and particularly black women face isn’t just the product of happenstance. — Nina Turner, Vogue, "Why Universal Health Care, Higher Wages, and Free Public Education Are Crucial Issues for Black Women," 3 May 2019 Every mundane happenstance in the lives of Gigi and Bella Hadid has become tabloid fodder at some point. — Glamour, "A Tabloid Called the Hadids’ Books ‘Hot Accessories’ and People Have Thoughts," 21 Mar. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'happenstance.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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happenstance
noun
English Language Learners Definition of happenstance
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