happenstance
noun
hap·pen·stance
ˈha-pən-ˌstan(t)s 
ˈha-pᵊm-
: a circumstance especially that is due to chance
They came together by mere happenstance.
happenstance
adjective
Examples of happenstance in a Sentence
Our meeting was pure happenstance.
We met each other by happenstance.
It was an agreeable happenstance that we met.
Recent Examples on the Web
Her days, like her characters’, were filled with quotidian routines punctuated by the explosive mystery of happenstance and accident.
—
Anthony Depalma, New York Times, 14 May 2024
By pure happenstance, Evelyn found a Spanish historian, Josep Calvet, whose research specializes in refugees’ escape from Nazism through Spain and the Pyrenees during the Second World War.
—Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 6 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for happenstance 
Anthony Depalma, New York Times, 14 May 2024
By pure happenstance, Evelyn found a Spanish historian, Josep Calvet, whose research specializes in refugees’ escape from Nazism through Spain and the Pyrenees during the Second World War.
—Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 6 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for happenstance
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'happenstance.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near happenstance
Cite this Entry
“Happenstance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/happenstance. Accessed 1 Jun. 2024.
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