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Showing results for happenstance.
Definitions

happenstance

[hap-uhn-stans] / ˈhæp ənˌstæns /
NOUN
chance
Synonyms


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

One posits the existence of billions of universes, arguing that happenstance alone accounts for the improbability of our inhabiting this one.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

Marles had met Hegseth in August to lobby him on Aukus, but the latter's office issued - and later retracted - a statement saying there were no talks, only "a happenstance encounter".

From BBC • Oct. 20, 2025

For Sebastián Yatra, a miracle doesn’t have to be a grandiose happenstance; it can be a child’s smile, the perfect cup of tea or rain on a sunny day.

From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2025

This dish came about more by happenstance than planning, but I’m deeply grateful for that serendipity.

From Salon • Dec. 9, 2024

Chances were that, fog and all, he’d made his drift dead center by happenstance; he’d had the luck he’d prayed for earlier.

From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson




Vocabulary lists containing happenstance