kismet

noun, often capitalized kis·met \ ˈkiz-ˌmet , -mət \

Examples: kismet in a Sentence

Editor's Note: kismet Has Arabic Roots

Definition of kismet

1 : fate 1

2 : fate 2a

See kismet defined for English-language learners

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Examples of kismet in a Sentence

he always said that it was kismet that they met at a showing of their favorite movie

Recent Examples of kismet from the Web

The video for Dunne’s single chronicles the kismet-like relationship between her parents, Marcy and Marty Dunne, who were born five days apart, baptized at the same church and on the same day and grew up living blocks apart from one another.

— lynn petrak, chicagotribune.com, "Petrak: La Grange native signed by Atlantic Records films video in her hometown," 29 Mar. 2018
The last chapter of this season felt oddly like kismet.

— nick moyle, Houston Chronicle, "UT knocked out of NCAA Tournament by Nevada," 16 Mar. 2018
The last chapter of this season felt oddly like kismet.

— San Antonio Express-News, "Longhorns’ season ends in heartbreak," 16 Mar. 2018
When Hamilton became a college free agent within weeks of Beard taking the Texas Tech job, basketball kismet compelled him to visit Lubbock, Texas, with his mom, LaTanya Floyd.

— david haugh, chicagotribune.com, "DePaul transfer Tommy Hamilton IV finds happiness at Texas Tech," 15 Mar. 2018
In a case of kismet, the 23-year-old is now garnering global attention.

— sowmya krishnamurthy, Billboard, "Babes Wodumo on Her Appearance for 'Black Panther: The Album': 'I'm So Happy. It's Such a Privilege'," 20 Feb. 2018
No player symbolized the kismet of 2017 better than Farmer.

— andy mccullough, latimes.com, "Dodgers officially get back to work, 110 days after losing the final game of the World Series," 19 Feb. 2018
The fact that Trysten Hill ended up wearing a No. 9 jersey this season had to be kismet.

— shannon green, OrlandoSentinel.com, "UCF defensive line ready for a test at SMU Saturday," 2 Nov. 2017
That dovetails with Matthews’s assertion that postpeak struggles don’t come from kismet or one’s endorphins being out of whack, but rather from inside the players’ heads.

— mark bechtel, SI.com, "Will Record Win Streak Hurt Indians in the Postseason? Not Necessarily," 3 Oct. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'kismet.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

kismet Has Arabic Roots

Is it your fate to tie macramé while drinking coffee and eating sherbet in a minaret? That would be an unusual destiny, but if it turns out to be your kismet, you will owe much to Turkish and Arabic. We borrowed kismet from Turkish in the 1800s, but it ultimately derives from the Arabic qisma, meaning "portion" or "lot." Several other terms in our bizarre opening question (namely, macramé, coffee, sherbet, and minaret) have roots in those languages too. In the case of macramé and minaret, there is a little French influence as well. Coffee and macramé also have Italian relations, and sherbet has an ancestor in a Persian name for a type of cold drink.