luck
[noun]
Synonyms:
- fortune, accident, chance, destiny, fate
- good fortune, advantage, blessing, godsend, prosperity, serendipity, success, windfall

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Antonyms: ill-fortune
Related Words: break, occasion, opportunity, advantage, fluke, godsend, windfall, weal, hap, kismet

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English Thesaurus: luck, chance, fortune, fate, providence, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. luck¹ S2 W3 /lʌk/ noun [uncountable]
[Word Family: adjective: lucky ≠ unlucky, luckless; noun: luck; adverb: luckily ≠ unluckily]
[Date: 1400-1500; Language: Middle Dutch; Origin: luk]

1. SUCCESS (also good luck) good things that happen to you by chance:
You’re not having much luck today, are you?
He’s had good luck with his roses this year.
It was an incredible piece of luck.
by luck
It was only by luck that they managed to avoid hitting the rocks near the shore.

2. bad luck the bad things that happen to someone by chance, not because of something they did:
I’ve had nothing but bad luck since I moved to this town.

3. CHANCE when good or bad things happen to people by chance:
Roulette is a game of luck.

4. with (any) luck/with a bit of luck spoken if things happen in the way that you want Synonym : hopefully:
With a bit of luck, you might get a flight tomorrow.

5. wish somebody (the best of) luck to tell someone that you hope they will be successful in something they are going to do:
She wished me luck in the exam, then left.

6. good luck/best of luck spoken used to tell someone that you hope they will be successful in something they are going to do:
Good luck in this enormous project you are undertaking.

7. good luck to somebody spoken used to say that you do not mind what someone does because it does not affect you:
I say, good luck to him.

8. any luck?/no luck? spoken used to ask someone if they have succeeded in doing something:
‘Oh, there you are. Any luck?’ ‘No, I didn’t catch a single fish.’

9. be in luck to be able to do or get something, especially when you did not expect to:
You’re in luck – it’s stopped snowing.

10. be out of luck to be prevented from getting or doing something by bad luck:
The team were out of luck again at Scarborough on Saturday.

11. do something for luck to do something because you think it might bring you good luck:
She crossed her fingers for luck.

12. just my luck spoken used to say that you are not surprised something bad has happened to you, because you are usually unlucky:
I didn’t get to the phone in time. Just my luck!

13. no such luck spoken used to say you are disappointed because something good that you hoped would happen did not happen:
‘Have you Sunday off?’ ‘No such luck.’

14. better luck next time used to say that you hope someone will be more successful the next time they try to do something

15. as luck would have it used to say that something happened by chance:
As luck would have it, my best friend is the most wonderful cook in the world.

16. try/chance your luck to do something because you hope you will be successful, even though you know you may not be:
After the war my father went to Canada to try his luck at farming there.

17. be down on your luck to have no money because you have had a lot of bad luck over a long period of time:
When someone is down on their luck, friends are very difficult to find.

18. the luck of the draw the result of chance rather than something you can control

19. some people have all the luck spoken used to say that you wish you had what someone else has

20. bad/hard/tough luck especially spoken British English used to express sympathy when something unpleasant has happened to someone ⇒ tough luck at tough¹(7)

21. with/knowing sb’s luck spoken used to say that you expect something bad to happen to someone because bad things often do happen to them:
With my luck, I’d lose if I backed the only horse in a one horse race.

22. worse luck British English spoken unfortunately:
‘Would your boyfriend like a drink?’ ‘He’s not my boyfriend, worse luck!’

23. luck is on sb’s side if luck is on someone’s side, things go well for them:
Luck was on my side; all the traffic lights were green.

24. (one) for luck spoken used when you take, add, or do something for no particular reason, or in order to say that you hope good things happen
⇒ hard-luck story, ⇒ push your luck at push¹(12)

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. luck² verb
luck out phrasal verb
American English informal to be lucky:
Yeah, we really lucked out and got a parking space right in front.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

luck
noun
ADJ. better, good | pure, sheer It was sheer luck that we met like that.
bad, ill, rotten, tough It was rotten luck to be ill on the day of the interview.
QUANT. piece, stroke By a stroke of luck I came across it in a local bookshop.
VERB + LUCK bring (sb), give sb This ring has always brought me good luck.
try I decided to try my luck at the roulette wheel.
LUCK + VERB run out It looks as though our luck's finally run out.
hold If our luck holds, we should win.
improve, turn He went on gambling, sure his luck was about to turn.
PREP. by … ~ By ill luck, my flight had been cancelled.
for ~ I always carry it with me, just for luck.
in ~ You're in luck?there are just two tickets left.
out of ~ I had hoped there would be another train, but I was out of luck.
with ~ With luck, we'll get there before it closes.
PHRASES beginner's luck I don't know why I did so well?it must be beginner's luck.
better luck next time If you didn't win a prize, better luck next time.
can't believe your luck He couldn't believe his luck when the other candidate for the job withdrew.
just my luck Just my luck to get the broken chair!

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

luck

good luck
These birds are said to bring good luck.
bad luck
His bad luck continued.
sheer/pure luck (=chance, and not skill or effort)
She managed to catch hold of the rope by sheer luck.
dumb luck American English (=sheer good luck, not influenced by anything you did)
Sometimes I think my success was really just dumb luck.
beginner’s luck (=good luck that happens when you first try something)
He’d hit the center of the target. ‘Beginner’s luck, I guess,’ he said.
have good/bad luck
I’ve had a bit of bad luck.
have more/less luck
I hope you have more luck in the next competition.
have no luck (also not have much/any luck) (=not be lucky or successful)
I’d been looking for a job for weeks, but had had no luck.
can’t believe your luck
I couldn’t believe my luck as my number was called out!
have the (good/bad) luck to do something
He had the good luck to meet a man who could help him.
sb’s luck holds (=they continue having good luck)
Our luck held, and the weather remained fine.
sb’s luck runs out (=they stop having good luck)
Finally my luck ran out and they caught me.
bring somebody (good/bad) luck
He always carried the stone in his pocket; he reckoned it brought him luck.
a piece/stroke of luck (=something good that happens by chance)
What a piece of luck that he arrived when he did!
a run of good/bad luck (=a series of good or bad things)
The team has had a run of bad luck lately, losing their last five games.
a matter of luck (=something that depends on chance)
Winning is a matter of luck.
an element of luck (=an amount of luck that is involved in something)
There is always an element of luck when hiring someone for a job.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

luck
noun
1.
BAD: If you have luck, you'll be able to hear Carreras sing.
GOOD: If you're lucky, you'll be able to hear Carreras sing.
GOOD: If you're in luck, you'll be able to hear Carreras sing.
BAD: That afternoon she had luck and found the keys at the bottom of a drawer.
GOOD: That afternoon she was lucky and found the keys at the bottom of a drawer.
GOOD: That afternoon she had a stroke of luck and found the keys at the bottom of a drawer.

Usage Note:
be lucky, be in luck, (have) a stroke/bit of luck (NOT have luck ): 'We're lucky the coach didn't go without us.' 'You're in luck, there are still a few tickets left.' 'I'm so pleased she got the job. It's about time she had a bit of luck.'
Note that when luck is used with have , it is always modified: 'I've had enough bad luck to last me a lifetime.' 'Some people have all the luck.' 'He hasn't had much luck recently.'

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2.
BAD: I'd just like to say goodbye and wish you a good luck.
GOOD: I'd just like to say goodbye and wish you good luck.
BAD: What a rotten luck! There he was again, sitting right beside me.
GOOD: What rotten luck! There he was again, sitting right beside me.

Usage Note:
Luck is an uncountable noun: 'She's had a lot of bad luck recently.' 'Meeting the right partner is just a matter of luck.'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

luck noun [uncountable] when good or bad things happen to people by chance:
The game involves an element of luck as well as skill.
chance noun [uncountable] the way that some things happen without being planned or caused by people:
I met her by chance on a plane to Tokyo.
Like all top athletes, he leaves nothing to chance, and trains harder than anybody.
fortune noun [uncountable] luck and the effect it has on your life:
I had the good fortune to work with some great people.
The tour was dogged by ill fortune (=it had a lot of bad luck) from the start.
Fortune has shone on the team so far this season (=they have been lucky).
fate noun [uncountable] a power that some people believe controls what happens to people and which cannot be changed or stopped:
Fate dealt him a cruel blow with the death of his wife at the age of 32.
It must have been fate that brought them together, and fate that tore them apart.
We can’t just leave it to fate.
providence noun [uncountable] a power which some people believe controls what happens in our lives and protects us:
Do you believe in divine providence (=God’s power to make things happen)?
Her life was mapped out for her by providence.
fluke noun [countable usually singular] informal something good that happens because of luck:
Their second goal was a fluke.
They won by a fluke.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

luck
lʌk
See: down on one's luck , luck out , press one's luck or push one's luck , in luck , out of luck

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲

LUCK
Living Under Christ's Kindness

[TahlilGaran] Acronyms and Abbreviations Dictionary ▲