happenstance

Definition of happenstancenext

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of happenstance The news led Deadline to pose the question of whether happenstance means Cannes might struggle to add headline-grabbing movies this year, with several other blockbusters unlikely to screen there. Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 13 Mar. 2026 And that's obviously not by happenstance. Bill Whitaker, CBS News, 2 Mar. 2026 That wasn’t just happenstance, either. Aaron Portzline, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2026 Its beginning, however, was somewhat happenstance. Melinda Moore, Chicago Tribune, 16 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for happenstance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for happenstance
Noun
  • The faulty keycards aren’t a coincidence.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 Apr. 2026
  • Maybe some supporters would claim that this is all a coincidence.
    William Mersey, New York Daily News, 8 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Two people died last week in similar circumstances off the coast north of Calais.
    ABC News, ABC News, 11 Apr. 2026
  • Given these circumstances, most of the music written for mandolin (eighty-five volumes were published in Paris between 1761 and 1783) was intended for amateurs, often women.
    Tim Parks, New Yorker, 11 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Happenstance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/happenstance. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.

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