Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.
1.
Luck or good ~ is success or good things that happen to you, that do not come from your own abilities or efforts.
I knew I needed a bit of ~ to win...
The Sri Lankans have been having no ~ with the weather...
The goal, when it came, owed more to good ~ than good planning.
N-UNCOUNT
2.
Bad ~ is lack of success or bad things that happen to you, that have not been caused by yourself or other people.
I had a lot of bad ~ during the first half of this season...
Randall’s illness was only bad ~.
N-UNCOUNT
3.
see also hard ~
4.
If you ask someone the question ‘Any ~?’ or ‘No ~?’, you want to know if they have been successful in something they were trying to do. (INFORMAL)
‘Any ~?’—‘No.’
CONVENTION
5.
You can say ‘Bad ~’, or ‘Hard ~’, to someone when you want to express sympathy to them. (INFORMAL)
Well, hard ~, mate.
CONVENTION formulae
6.
If you describe someone as down on their ~, you mean that they have had bad experiences, often because they do not have enough money.
PHRASE: usu v-link PHR
7.
If you say ‘Good ~’ or ‘Best of ~’ to someone, you are telling them that you hope they will be successful in something they are trying to do. (INFORMAL)
He kissed her on the cheek. ‘Best of ~!’
CONVENTION formulae
8.
You can say someone is in ~ when they are in a situation where they can have what they want or need.
You’re in ~. The doctor’s still in.
PHRASE: V inflects
9.
If you say that someone is out of ~, you mean that they cannot have something which they can normally have.
‘What do you want, Roy? If it’s money, you’re out of ~.’
PHRASE: V inflects
10.
If you say that someone is pushing their ~, you think they are taking a bigger risk than is sensible, and may get into trouble.
I didn’t dare push my ~ too far and did not ask them to sign statements.
PHRASE: V inflects
11.
If someone tries their ~ at something, they try to succeed at it, often when it is very difficult or there is little chance of success.
She was going to try her ~ at the Las Vegas casinos.
PHRASE: V inflects
12.
pot ~: see pot