Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A chance circumstance.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun countable A
chance orrandom event orcircumstance . - noun uncountable The chance or random quality of an event or circumstance.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun an event that might have been arranged although it was really accidental
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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I won’t tell you the main happenstance, because that twist IS the plot … but …. you’ll recognize it too.
Quick Personal Interlude - then more Urban Bizarre. deep_bluze 2004
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Using government money on a vast scale to keep the financial markets working, then to save the automobile industry from bankruptcy, has edged the Bush administration deep into a kind of happenstance socialism.
A Revolutionary President Baker, Russell 2009
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The saying " If....were better I would be okay" has come to sum up a dependence on "happenstance" to bring me or others a sense of well being, okay-ness, safety or joy.
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The impression on an anti-Semite or potential anti-Semite is that the 'happenstance' of his vet status saves him from being rightfully obliterated.
Caught in the Crossfire: Adrian Scott and the Politics of Americanism in 1940s Hollywood 2007
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While I liked both Gwen and Harry, their relationship - with a 20-year age gap and a failed marriage each - did seem "happenstance," almost as though they ended up together because they were the only two left to get out of Yellowknife relatively unscathed.
Archive 2008-04-01 tinylittlelibrarian 2008
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While I liked both Gwen and Harry, their relationship - with a 20-year age gap and a failed marriage each - did seem "happenstance," almost as though they ended up together because they were the only two left to get out of Yellowknife relatively unscathed.
Review: Late Nights on Air tinylittlelibrarian 2008
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When reached for comment, Adam L a/k/a clammyc noted that the timing of this post was merely "happenstance". by: you @ soon
Blue Jersey - Front Page Adam L a/k/a clammyc 2010
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Ms. Jarrett told the crowd that this economic crisis did not occur by "happenstance" but is the result of our "profound irresponsibility."
Capitol Hill Blue - The oldest political news site on the Internet 2009
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Using government money on a vast scale to keep the financial markets working, then to save the automobile industry from bankruptcy, has edged the Bush administration deep into a kind of happenstance socialism.
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The word karcha comes from the word mikreh - "happenstance"
Telofy commented on the word happenstance
“You can expect to see this word about twice a year.�? – Wordnik
Wow, I had thought it was fairly common until I noticed that it was even missing from one of my dictionaries. But it's so useful.
September 22, 2009
natalie_portmanteaux commented on the word happenstance
Happenstance, a portmanteau of happening and circumstance.
December 6, 2023