Meanings
luck1
plural lucks
- uncountableusuallySomething that happens to someone by chance, a chance occurrence.
The raffle is just a matter of luck.
1 more example
Gilbert had some bad luck yesterday — he got pick-pocketed and lost fifty dollars.
- uncountableusuallyA superstitious feeling that brings fortune or success.
He blew on the dice for luck.
2 more examples
I wish you lots of luck for the exam tomorrow.
Shepard: We better get moving. Dr. Warren: Good luck, Commander. Dr. Manuel: Luck won't save you.
2008, BioWare, Mass Effect (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Eden PrimeSynonyms: fortune
- uncountableusuallySuccess.
I tried for ages to find a pair of blue suede shoes, but didn't have any luck.
1 more example
He has a lot of luck with the ladies. Perhaps it's because of his new motorbike.
- uncountableusuallycomputingThe results of a random number generator.
The creators of tool-assisted speedruns often manipulate luck to get the most favorable results in order to save the most time.
present singular third person lucks · participle present lucking · participle past lucked · past lucked
- informalintransitiveTo find something through good fortune; used with into, on, onto or upon.
I lucked upon a seat, settled in, nodded off and 20 minutes later heard my name being called by the admitting nurse.
2004 December, The Crisis, volume 111, page 501 more example
But then I lucked on a backpackers' lodge lying half-hidden behind some trees right next to the road. It was a considerable relief to both my mind and my muscles.
2010, Riaan Manser, Around Africa On My Bicycle
Luck2
- A surname transferred from the given name.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA favourable chance occurrence.
nounA superstitious feeling that brings fortune or success.
More synonyms by meaning
nounyour overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you)
nounan unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another
nounan unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that leads to a favorable outcome
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
luck · noun, verb
- Proto-Germanic*lukjǭ“opening”
- Frankish*galukki
- Middle Low Germanlücke
- Middle Dutchluc
- Middle Englishluk
- Englishluck
From Middle English luk, lukke, from Middle Dutch luc, geluc, gelucke (“good luck, fortune”) or Middle Low German lücke, gelücke (“lot, fortune, fate, luck”), of obscure origin; perhaps ultimately related to German Lücke (“gap, opening”) in the sense of "space or opportunity", hence "chance". Cognate with West Frisian gelok (“luck”), Saterland Frisian Gluk (“luck”), Dutch luk, geluk (“luck, happiness”), Dutch Low Saxon luk (“luck”), German Low German and German Glück (“luck, good fortune, happiness”), Danish and Norwegian Bokmål lykke (“luck, happiness”), Norwegian Nynorsk lukke (“luck, happiness”), Swedish lycka (“luck, happiness”), Icelandic lukka (“happiness”). According to the OED, it may be related to lock. A loanword into English in the 15th century (probably as a gambling term), Middle Dutch luc, gelucke has parallels with Middle High German lücke, gelücke ("luck, skill, chance, profession, livelihood"; whence Modern German Glück). The word occurs only from the 12th century, apparently first in Rhine Frankish. Perhaps from a Frankish *galukki, derived from Proto-Germanic *lukjǭ (“opening”). The word enters standard Middle High German during the 13th century, and spreads to English and Scandinavian in the Late Middle Ages. Its origin seems to have been regional or dialectal, and there were competing German words such as gevelle or schick, or the Latinate fortūne from Latin fortūna. Its etymology is unknown, although there are numerous proposals as to its derivations from a number of roots. Use as a verb in American English is late (1940s), but there was a Middle English verb lukken (“to chance, to happen by good fortune”) in the 15th century.
More words from Middle English, Middle Dutch, Middle Low German
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek τύχη, εὐτυχία
- τύχη (túkhē)something that happens to someone by chance
- εὐτυχία (eutukhía)something that happens to someone by chance
- εὐτύχημα (eutúkhēma)something that happens to someone by chance
Arabic حَظّ, بَخْت
- حَظّ (ḥaẓẓ)something that happens to someone by chance
- بَخْت (baḵt)something that happens to someone by chance
Basque zori, adur
- zorisomething that happens to someone by chance
- adursomething that happens to someone by chance
Bulgarian успе́х, късме́т
- успе́х (uspéh)success
- късме́т (kăsmét)something that happens to someone by chance
- ща́стие (štástie)something that happens to someone by chance
Catalan sort
- sortsomething that happens to someone by chance
Chinese Mandarin 運氣 /运气, 時運 /时运
- 運氣 /运气 (yùnqi)something that happens to someone by chance
- 時運 /时运 (shíyùn)something that happens to someone by chance
Czech úspěch, štěstí
- úspěchsuccess
- štěstísomething that happens to someone by chance
Danish held
- heldsomething that happens to someone by chance
Dutch geluk
- geluksomething that happens to someone by chance
Esperanto sorto
- sortosomething that happens to someone by chance
Estonian õnn
- õnnsomething that happens to someone by chance
Finnish onni, tuuri
- onnisuccess
- tuurisuccess
- onnisomething that happens to someone by chance
- tuurisomething that happens to someone by chance
- munkkisomething that happens to someone by chance
- säkäsomething that happens to someone by chance
- mäihäsomething that happens to someone by chance
- flaksisomething that happens to someone by chance
- tsägäsomething that happens to someone by chance
- lykkysomething that happens to someone by chance
French chance, veine
- chancesomething that happens to someone by chance
- veinesomething that happens to someone by chance
- bolsomething that happens to someone by chance
- culsomething that happens to someone by chance
- chattesomething that happens to someone by chance
German Glück
- Glücksomething that happens to someone by chance
Greek τύχη
- τύχη (týchi)something that happens to someone by chance
Hebrew מַזָּל, גָּד
- מַזָּל (mazál)something that happens to someone by chance
- גָּד (gad)something that happens to someone by chance
Hindi भाग्य, सौभाग्य
- भाग्य (bhāgya)something that happens to someone by chance
- सौभाग्य (saubhāgya)something that happens to someone by chance
Hungarian szerencse
- szerencsesomething that happens to someone by chance
Icelandic heppni, lukka
- heppnisomething that happens to someone by chance
- lukkasomething that happens to someone by chance
Indonesian keberuntungan
- keberuntungansomething that happens to someone by chance
Irish ádh
- ádhsomething that happens to someone by chance
Italian fortuna
- fortunasomething that happens to someone by chance
Japanese 運, 運勢
- 運 (un)something that happens to someone by chance
- 運勢 (unsei)something that happens to someone by chance
- 福something that happens to someone by chance
Korean 운, 재수
- 운 (un)something that happens to someone by chance
- 재수 (jaesu)something that happens to someone by chance
Latin fortūna, fors
- fortūnasomething that happens to someone by chance
- forssomething that happens to someone by chance
Latvian veiksme
- veiksmesomething that happens to someone by chance
Lithuanian sėkmė
- sėkmėsomething that happens to someone by chance
Malay tuah
- tuahsomething that happens to someone by chance
Persian شانس
- شانس (šâns)something that happens to someone by chance
Polish sukces, szczęście
- sukcessuccess
- szczęściesomething that happens to someone by chance
Portuguese sorte
- sortesomething that happens to someone by chance
Romanian noroc, șansă
- norocsomething that happens to someone by chance
- șansăsomething that happens to someone by chance
- soartăsomething that happens to someone by chance
Russian успе́х, уда́ча
- успе́х (uspéx)success
- уда́ча (udáča)something that happens to someone by chance
- везе́ние (vezénije)something that happens to someone by chance
- сча́стье (sčástʹje)something that happens to someone by chance
Slovak úspech, šťastie
- úspechsuccess
- šťastiesomething that happens to someone by chance
Spanish suerte
- suertesomething that happens to someone by chance
Swahili bahati
- bahatisomething that happens to someone by chance
Swedish lycka, tur
- lyckasomething that happens to someone by chance
- tursomething that happens to someone by chance
Tagalog suwerte
- suwertesomething that happens to someone by chance
Tamil அதிட்டம்
- அதிட்டம் (atiṭṭam)something that happens to someone by chance
Thai โชค
- โชค (chôok)something that happens to someone by chance
Turkish uğur, şans
- uğursomething that happens to someone by chance
- şanssomething that happens to someone by chance
- talihsomething that happens to someone by chance
Ukrainian у́спіх, уда́ча
- у́спіх (úspix)success
- уда́ча (udáča)something that happens to someone by chance
- ща́стя (ščástja)something that happens to someone by chance
Urdu قسمت, تقدیر
- قسمت (qismat)something that happens to someone by chance
- تقدیر (taqdīr)something that happens to someone by chance
Vietnamese may mắn, vận may
- may mắnsomething that happens to someone by chance
- vận maysomething that happens to someone by chance
- vậnsomething that happens to someone by chance
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with luck
Sounds the same
Cite this entry
luck. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/luck
“luck.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/luck. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “luck,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/luck.
Source: luck on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.