in the right place at the right time

prepositional phrase

At a location where something good is about to happen at just the time of its occurrence; lucky; fortunate; able to obtain a benefit due to circumstances, rather than due to merit.

Opposite
in the wrong place at the wrong time
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Meanings

prepositional phrase
  1. At a location where something good is about to happen at just the time of its occurrence; lucky; fortunate; able to obtain a benefit due to circumstances, rather than due to merit.

    Many of us have looked at others success and commented, "That person was just in the right place at the right time!"

    2007, Larry G. Patten, Living As A Champion, page 251
    2 more examples

    And the Premier League's all-time top-goalscoring midfielder proved he has not lost the knack of being in the right place at the right time with a trio of clinical finishes.

    2011 October 2, Jonathan Jurejko, “Bolton 1 - 5 Chelsea”, in BBC Sport

    Knowing the right person or merely being in the right place at the right time continues to be the best way of getting a job.

    2003, Graham Till, The Redundancy Survivor's Field Guide, page 6

    Antonyms: in the wrong place at the wrong time

Synonyms & antonyms

prepositional phraseAt a location where something good is about to happen at just the time of its occurrence; lucky; fortunate; able to obtain a benefit due to circumstances, rather than due to merit.

Opposite
in the wrong place at the wrong time

Translations

Finnish oikeassa paikassa oikeaan aikaan
  • oikeassa paikassa oikeaan aikaanTranslations
French au bon endroit au bon moment
  • au bon endroit au bon momentTranslations
German zur richtigen Zeit am richtigen Ort
  • zur richtigen Zeit am richtigen OrtTranslations
Greek στο σωστό μέρος τη σωστή στιγμή
  • στο σωστό μέρος τη σωστή στιγμή (sto sostó méros ti sostí stigmí)Translations
Romanian în locul potrivit la momentul potrivit
  • în locul potrivit la momentul potrivitTranslations
Cite this entry
APA

in the right place at the right time. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20the%20right%20place%20at%20the%20right%20time

MLA

“in the right place at the right time.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20the%20right%20place%20at%20the%20right%20time. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “in the right place at the right time,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20the%20right%20place%20at%20the%20right%20time.

Source: in the right place at the right time on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.