kismet

noun, often capitalized

kis·met | \ˈkiz-ˌmet,

-mət\

Definition of kismet

1 : fate sense 1

2 : fate sense 2a

Synonyms Kismet Has Arabic Roots Example Sentences Learn More about kismet

Keep scrolling for more

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.

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 on the Web

My mom had got me a set of books that was sort of kismet, this really like changed my life. — Fox News, "Rick Harrison opens up about his journey to 'Pawn Stars'," 6 Aug. 2018 Silverman stumbled upon his passion project by kismet. — Brady Macdonald, latimes.com, "If this house could talk: Home biographer tells tales of famous names who once lived there," 25 May 2018 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

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.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about kismet

Listen to Our Podcast about kismet

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Dictionary Entries near kismet

kiss and make up

Statistics for kismet

Last Updated

23 Nov 2018

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for kismet

The first known use of kismet was in 1834

See more words from the same year

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for kismet

kismet

noun

English Language Learners Definition of kismet

: a power that is believed to control what happens in the future

See the full definition for kismet in the English Language Learners Dictionary

WORD OF THE DAY

epitome

a typical or ideal example

Test Your Vocabulary

Find the Cousins

Which pair shares a common word ancestor?

Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

TAKE THE QUIZ

SCRABBLE® Sprint

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games