luck of the draw

NOUN

lottery

Synonyms

STRONGEST

gambling raffle sweepstake

STRONG

chance lotto

WEAK

door prize game of chance numbers game

NOUN

lucky break

Synonyms

WEAK

blessing bonanza break fluke good break jackpot luck of the Irish lucky strike mere luck stroke of luck

NOUN

shot in the dark

Synonyms

WEAK

bet chance fall of the cards flip of the coin gamble guess leap in the dark long shot matter of chance outside chance risk risky thing speculation throw of the dice toss of the dice turn of the wheel wild guess

NOUN

sporting chance

Synonyms

WEAK

betting proposition flip of the coin gambler's chance good possibility hazard of the die matter of chance throw of the dice toss of the coin toss-up

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

So much of it comes to luck of the draw - if you are seeded and can avoid the big names and someone feeling good.

From BBC • Jul. 9, 2025

The WB in the call letters led people to conclude it was a deliberate “get” for Warner Brothers, but it was the luck of the draw.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 12, 2024

You get a lot of those hotels and houses, by luck of the draw, if you land on Park Place …

From Salon • Sep. 23, 2023

Due to the luck of the draw, the six leatherback nests found during the study fell on “Dory days,” so there wasn’t enough data for a direct comparison with human performance.

From National Geographic • Sep. 13, 2023

“That’s just luck of the draw, I guess.”

From "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak

luck of the draw

Example Sentences

Related Words