luck ‧ y S2 W3 /ˈlʌki/ BrE AmE adjective ( comparative luckier , superlative luckiest )
[ Word Family: adjective : ↑ lucky ≠ ↑ unlucky , ↑ luckless ; noun : ↑ luck ; adverb : ↑ luckily ≠ ↑ unluckily ]
1 . having good luck SYN fortunate OPP unlucky
be lucky to do/be something
The children were lucky to survive the fire which destroyed their home.
lucky enough to do something
those of us lucky enough to own our own homes
lucky if
I’ll be lucky if I get any of my money back.
lucky (that)
I was tremendously lucky that I didn’t die in the accident.
lucky with
We’ve been very lucky with the weather.
count/consider/think yourself lucky
Count yourself lucky you’ve got a husband like Jack.
get lucky (=be lucky on a particular occasion)
You might get lucky and find a bargain.
2 . resulting from good luck:
I didn’t really know your name – it was just a lucky guess.
A middle-aged woman had a lucky escape when a tree crashed down onto her car.
it is lucky (that)
It’s lucky that no-one was hurt.
3 . bringing good luck:
a lucky charm
4 . lucky you/me etc spoken used to say that someone is fortunate to be able to do something:
‘My husband’s a rich man, and devoted to me.’ ‘Lucky you.’
5 . be sb’s lucky day spoken used to say that something good and often unexpected will happen to someone:
We’re going to win. I just know it’s our lucky day
6 . you’ll/you’d be lucky! spoken used to tell someone that what they want probably will not happen:
‘£50 should be enough.’ ‘You’ll be lucky!’
7 . I/you should be so lucky! spoken used to tell someone that what they want is not likely to happen, especially because it is unreasonable:
You want three weeks holiday? You should be so lucky!
⇨ strike it lucky at ↑ strike 1 (19), ⇨ thank your lucky stars at ↑ thank (3), ⇨ third time lucky at ↑ third 1 (2)
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COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ feel lucky
I feel so incredibly lucky to have had that experience.
▪ get lucky informal (=be lucky)
They’re not a great team - they just got lucky.
▪ count/consider/think yourself lucky (=believe that you are lucky in a particular situation)
You should count yourself lucky you weren’t seriously hurt.
▪ strike (it) lucky informal (=be lucky)
I applied for twenty jobs before I struck lucky.
■ adverbs
▪ extremely/exceedingly/incredibly lucky (=very lucky)
Police say it was extremely lucky that no one was killed.
▪ dead lucky informal (=very lucky)
I was dead lucky to find a parking space right away.
▪ pretty lucky informal (=lucky, but not extremely lucky)
We were pretty lucky with the weather on this holiday.
■ lucky + NOUN
▪ a lucky winner
The lucky winner of the competition will be announced next week.
▪ a lucky man/woman/boy/girl
Your son’s a lucky man, having a father like you.
▪ the lucky ones (=lucky people, especially when compared to others who suffered)
They considered themselves the lucky ones because they escaped with only minor injuries.
■ phrases
▪ be lucky enough to do something (=have the good luck to do something)
I was lucky enough to be selected for the school team.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ lucky happening because of good luck, or bringing you good luck:
a lucky guess
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Seven is considered a lucky number.
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It’s lucky that I’ve got some spare keys.
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Italy got a lucky goal in the last five minutes of the game.
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‘How did you know he’d be there?’ ‘It was a lucky guess.’
▪ fortunate happening because of good luck. Fortunate is more formal than lucky :
It was extremely fortunate that there was no one in the building when the bomb went off.
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I’m in the fortunate position of doing a job I love.
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Some plants actually prefer a lot of shade, which is fortunate for gardeners choosing plants for gloomy corners.
▪ it’s a good thing (that) ( also it’s a good job (that) British English ) spoken used when saying that there would have been problems if something had not happened:
It’s a good thing that you brought an umbrella with you.
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It’s a good job I’m here to help.
▪ miraculous extremely lucky in a way that is almost unbelievable:
A teenager had a miraculous escape last night when the car she was travelling in overturned.
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The doctor gave her a month to live but she made a miraculous recovery.
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It was miraculous that no one was seriously injured in the accident.
▪ fortuitous /fɔːˈtjuːətəs $ fɔːrˈtuː-, fɔːˈtjuːɪtəs $ fɔːrˈtuː-/ formal happening because of good luck:
a fortuitous decision
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a fortuitous coincidence
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It was fortuitous that no one else was hurt.
▪ a fluke /fluːk/ informal something that happens by chance, not because of skill or good judgement:
The goal was a fluke.
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By a fluke, he managed to get the question right.
▪ be in the right place at the right time used when saying that someone is lucky and the situation is right for them:
Making money from buying property is easy – you just have to be in the right place at the right time.