luck

Universal Words noun, verb noun [U] 1 good things that happen to you by chance, not because of your own efforts or abilities: With (any) luck, we'll be home before dark. * (BrE) With a bit of luck, we'll finish on time. * So far I have had no luck with finding a job. * I could hardly believe my luck when he said yes. * It was a stroke of luck that we found you. * By sheer luck nobody was hurt in the explosion. * We wish her luck in her new career. * You're in luck (= lucky)-there's one ticket left. * You're out of luck. She's not here. * What a piece of luck! * The only goal of the match came more by luck than judgement. * Finally my luck ran out and they caught me trying to climb the outer wall. * She dared not trust to luck that nobody would see her. 2 chance; the force that causes good or bad things to happen to people: to have good / bad luck * I put the loss of the money down to pure bad luck. seealsoHARD-LUCKSTORY IDIOMS Any luck? (spoken) used to ask sb if they have been successful with sth: 'Any luck?' 'No, they're all too busy to help.' as luck would have it in the way that chance decides what will happen: As luck would have it, the train was late. bad, hard, etc. luck (on sb) used to express sympathy for sb: Bad luck, Helen, you played very well. * It's hard luck on him that he wasn't chosen. * What rotten luck it had to happen now! be down on your luck (informal) to have no money because of a period of bad luck the best of luck (with sth)