third time lucky

phrase

British

—used to say that two efforts at something have already failed but perhaps the third will be successful

Examples of third time lucky in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Penn was not in London to collect his award, but the prize marks third time lucky for the actor. — Jake Kanter, Deadline, 22 Feb. 2026

Whether a Hong Kong IPO, as is rumored, will be third time lucky remains to be seen. — Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 2 Dec. 2025

So this is third time lucky for the Ashes and Perth Stadium, also known as Optus Stadium due to a 10-year A$50m naming-rights deal. — Michael Bailey, New York Times, 19 Nov. 2025

As election strategies go, third time lucky might sound a bit glib. — Charlie Campbell, Time, 15 Sep. 2025

Rhymes for third time lucky

• bucky
• mucky
• plucky
• unlucky