Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense lucks, present participle lucking, past tense, past participle lucked
1. uncountable noun
Luck or good luck is success or good things that happen to you, that do not come from your own abilities or efforts.
I knew I needed a bit of luck to win. [+ to-infinitive]
The Sri Lankans have been having no luck with the weather. [+ with]
The goal, when it came, owed more to good luck than good planning.
Synonyms: good fortune, success, advantage, prosperity More Synonyms of luck
2. uncountable noun
Bad luck is lack of success or bad things that happen to you, that have not been caused by yourselfor other people.
I had a lot of bad luck during the first half of this season.
Randall's illness was only bad luck.
3. See also hard luck
4.
See any luck
5.
See bad luck
6.
See bring someone luck
7.
See down on one's luck
8.
See the luck of the draw
9.
See good luck
10.
See be in luck
11.
See be just sb's luck
12.
See be out of luck
13.
See no such luck
14.
See to push your luck
15.
See luck was on sb's side
16.
See to try your luck
17.
See with any luck
18. pot luck
Phrasal verbs:
See luck out
More Synonyms of luck
luck in British English
(lʌk)
noun
1.
events that are beyond control and seem subject to chance; fortune
2.
success or good fortune
3.
something considered to bring good luck
4. down on one's luck
5. no such luck
6. try one's luck
Word origin
C15: from Middle Dutch luc; related to Middle High German gelücke, late Old Norse lukka, lykka
luck in American English
(lʌk)
noun
1.
the seemingly chance happening of events that affect someone; fortune; fate
2.
good fortune; success, prosperity, advantage, etc.
3.
an object believed to bring good luck
verb intransitive
4. Informal
to be lucky enough to come (into, on, through, etc.)
Idioms:
crowd one's luck
down on one's luck
in luck
luck out
out of luck
try one's luck
worse luck
Word origin
ME lucke, prob. < MDu luk, contr. < gelucke < ODu *gilukki (> Ger glück, fortune, good luck) < ? IE base *leug-, to bend (> leek, lock1): basic sense “what bends together,” hence, “what occurs, what is fitting, luckyoccurrence”
More idioms containing
luck
be pot luck
take pot luck
down on your luck
the luck of the draw
COBUILD Collocations
luck
pure luck
rotten luck
sheer luck
Examples of 'luck' in a sentence
luck
You can get it through sheer bad luck.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
All you are doing there is giving over the chance to luck.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
You just need a bit of luck.
The Sun (2016)
We just needed a little bit of luck to tip the balance.
The Sun (2016)
We're trying to pass on our good luck.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Good luck with that in Brexit seats.
The Sun (2017)
To lose one is bad luck, to lose three seems like lousy vetting.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Just my luck I got pregnant that night.
The Sun (2016)
The ideas you share, or a ticket you buy together, brings winning luck.
The Sun (2016)
Red vehicles, celebrity biographies, unusual pets and flower names also bring your family luck.
The Sun (2017)
He was full of praise and wished me good luck.
The Sun (2015)
Surely only bad luck and bad fortune can stop them again.
The Sun (2010)
We got a bit of luck on the goal but you need that sometimes.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Just remember luck has to be used.
The Sun (2011)
What bad luck it is that things should have come to such a sad end!
Clerk, Jayana & Siegel, Ruth Modern Literatures of the Non-Western World: Where the Waters Are Born (1995)
The full moon brings luck to a project linking friends and the showbusiness world.
The Sun (2012)
It was sheer luck or chance that it did not succeed.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
To do well you have to have luck with the weather.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Stoke survived until deep into the second half more by luck than judgment.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
We probably needed that bit of luck to get the game opened up.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
They are not getting the results but we just need a bit of luck on our side.
The Sun (2008)
And good luck to anyone whose life is made happier through chemical pursuits.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
He needs luck and fortune to turn it.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
There was no luck about the goal.
The Sun (2007)
It was just bad luck with injuries.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Bad luck you were placed near the kitchen door.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Police had better luck bringing him to justice once timeshare complaints began to flood in.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Having a couple of chances and that luck is missing for me now.
The Sun (2011)
Hoping to score some luck with the weather.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
We just need a little bit of luck and a little bit of consistency.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
They all knew they needed luck on their side.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
But he was not prepared to leave his change of fortune to luck or accident.
The Times Literary Supplement (2010)
Stranger things have happened - good luck!
The Sun (2015)
I only hope they may have half my good luck.
Jane Austen Pride and Prejudice (1813)
BAD luck if you're a battery chicken.
The Sun (2008)
Quotations
The more I practise the luckier I getGary Player
You win some, you lose some
In other languages
luck
British English: luck /lʌk/ NOUN
Luck is success or good things that happen to you, which do not come from your own abilities or efforts.
He does deserve some good luck.
American English: luck
Arabic: حَظٌ
Brazilian Portuguese: sorte
Chinese: 运气
Croatian: sreća
Czech: štěstí zdar, úspěch
Danish: held
Dutch: geluk mazzel
European Spanish: suerte
Finnish: onni tuuri
French: chance
German: Glück
Greek: τύχη
Italian: fortuna
Japanese: 運
Korean: 운명
Norwegian: hell
Polish: szczęście
European Portuguese: sorte
Romanian: noroc
Russian: везение
Latin American Spanish: suerte
Swedish: tur inte otur
Thai: โชค
Turkish: şans
Ukrainian: талан
Vietnamese: vận may
Chinese translation of 'luck'
luck
(lʌk)
n(u)
(= chance) 运(運)气(氣) (yùnqì)
(= good fortune) 幸运(運) (xìngyùn)
good luck好运(運) (hǎoyùn)
good luck! or best of luck!祝你好运(運)！ (zhùnǐ hǎoyùn!)
bad luck不走运(運) (bù zǒuyùn)
bad or hard or tough luck! (showing sympathy) 真不走运(運)！ (zhēn bù zǒuyùn!)
hard or tough luck! (not showing sympathy) 活该(該)倒霉！ (Huógāi dǎoméi!)
to be in luck走运(運) (zǒuyùn)
to be out of luck不走运(運) (bù zǒuyùn)
to have no luck (doing sth)没(沒)有(做某事的)运(運)气(氣) (méiyǒu (zuò mǒushì de) yùnqi)