1
a
: a force that brings good fortune or adversity
Luck was a big factor in the outcome.
b
: the events or circumstances that operate for or against an individual
The loser muttered something about bad luck.
2
: favoring chance
lucked; lucking; lucks
1
: to prosper or succeed especially through chance or good fortune
—usually used with out
the hero lucks out and is able to escape
2
: to come upon something desirable by chance
—usually used with out, on, onto, or into
lucked into a wonderful opportunity
Examples of luck in a Sentence
Noun
We had good luck fishing.
He's been having nothing but bad luck.
He succeeded through hard work and a little luck.
We need a bit of luck.
By a stroke of luck, there were still a few tickets left when we arrived.
“I've been looking for a new apartment.” “Any luck?” “No, not yet.”
I've had no luck in finding a new apartment.
He had no better luck than I did.
Recent Examples on the Web
Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 21 Apr. 2024
Launched in 1914 as the Idlewild, the Belle was renamed the Avalon in 1948, but the boat ran out of luck (and steam) by the late 1950s and was auctioned in early 1962.
—Steve Wiser, The Courier-Journal, 20 Apr. 2024
Getting back to that level next year will require drastic change (and a healthy dose of luck).
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2024
Now, members can try their luck at their local JCPenney to earn additional savings from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. local time on May 4 — and post on social for a chance to hang with the NBA legend, too!
—Skyler Caruso, Peoplemag, 18 Apr. 2024
The few who stayed had no luck sparking an anti-war movement.
—Simon Shuster / Vilnius, TIME, 17 Apr. 2024
In fact, while some of the city’s current surplus can be credited to careful planning and preparation, a lot of it also had to do with luck, Gold said.
—Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2024
Researchers have identified areas of meteorite-rich blue ice mostly by luck.
—Katie Hunt, CNN, 10 Apr. 2024
It’s revealed that Ansari plays a man who is down on his luck and struggling to make ends meet.
—Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Apr. 2024
Victoria Murphy, Town & Country, 7 Aug. 2023
With the necessary waiver signed, Thomas handed me a black cowboy hat and wished me luck.
—José Sánchez Córdova, Dallas News, 22 July 2023
SeaWorld San Antonio will luck out with 2 minutes 7 seconds of totality.
—Matthew Cappucci, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Apr. 2023
Ordinarily, arancieri must register with a team weeks in advance and pay the roughly 120-euro fee, but someone from the Historic Carnival of Ivrea Foundation, which organizes the event, had simply gifted me an emasculatingly oversize Tuchini jersey and wished me luck.
—Jon Mooallem Andrea Frazzetta, New York Times, 17 Mar. 2023
Camping might not sound as appealing during the rainy months, but those who luck out with clear weather — or those who don’t mind the rain — can find plenty of space at the many Olympic National Park campgrounds that remain open year-round, including the Hoh, Mora and Ozette campgrounds.
—oregonlive, 2 Oct. 2021
The Cowboys may luck out here -- Mostert missed practice Wednesday with an ankle injury and his status for Sunday is up in the air.
—John Owning, Dallas News, 18 Dec. 2020
But is luck a crucial factor in making someone successful?
—Liana Zavo, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2023
Nobody could possibly expect to luck onto an alien broadcast that easily, unless there happened to be technologically advanced civilizations lurking around just about every star.
—Michael Lemonick, Discover Magazine, 2 Jan. 2011
Noun
To promote the remix, Kanye shared an X-rated meme that boiled down to saying fans of J. Cole don’t have very much luck with women.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 21 Apr. 2024
Launched in 1914 as the Idlewild, the Belle was renamed the Avalon in 1948, but the boat ran out of luck (and steam) by the late 1950s and was auctioned in early 1962.
—Steve Wiser, The Courier-Journal, 20 Apr. 2024
Getting back to that level next year will require drastic change (and a healthy dose of luck).
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2024
Now, members can try their luck at their local JCPenney to earn additional savings from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. local time on May 4 — and post on social for a chance to hang with the NBA legend, too!
—Skyler Caruso, Peoplemag, 18 Apr. 2024
The few who stayed had no luck sparking an anti-war movement.
—Simon Shuster / Vilnius, TIME, 17 Apr. 2024
In fact, while some of the city’s current surplus can be credited to careful planning and preparation, a lot of it also had to do with luck, Gold said.
—Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2024
Researchers have identified areas of meteorite-rich blue ice mostly by luck.
—Katie Hunt, CNN, 10 Apr. 2024
It’s revealed that Ansari plays a man who is down on his luck and struggling to make ends meet.
—Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Apr. 2024
Verb
When the event kicked off, the Prince posted a personal message on social media wishing both teams luck.
—Victoria Murphy, Town & Country, 7 Aug. 2023
With the necessary waiver signed, Thomas handed me a black cowboy hat and wished me luck.
—José Sánchez Córdova, Dallas News, 22 July 2023
SeaWorld San Antonio will luck out with 2 minutes 7 seconds of totality.
—Matthew Cappucci, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Apr. 2023
Ordinarily, arancieri must register with a team weeks in advance and pay the roughly 120-euro fee, but someone from the Historic Carnival of Ivrea Foundation, which organizes the event, had simply gifted me an emasculatingly oversize Tuchini jersey and wished me luck.
—Jon Mooallem Andrea Frazzetta, New York Times, 17 Mar. 2023
Camping might not sound as appealing during the rainy months, but those who luck out with clear weather — or those who don’t mind the rain — can find plenty of space at the many Olympic National Park campgrounds that remain open year-round, including the Hoh, Mora and Ozette campgrounds.
—oregonlive, 2 Oct. 2021
The Cowboys may luck out here -- Mostert missed practice Wednesday with an ankle injury and his status for Sunday is up in the air.
—John Owning, Dallas News, 18 Dec. 2020
But is luck a crucial factor in making someone successful?
—Liana Zavo, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2023
Nobody could possibly expect to luck onto an alien broadcast that easily, unless there happened to be technologically advanced civilizations lurking around just about every star.
—Michael Lemonick, Discover Magazine, 2 Jan. 2011
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'luck.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Dictionary Entries Near luck
Cite this Entry
“Luck.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/luck. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
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