From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishmiraclemir‧a‧cle /ˈmɪrəkəl/ ●●○ noun [countable] 1 LUCKYsomething very lucky or very good that happens which you did not expect to happen or did not think was possible It’s a miracle you weren’t killed! By some miracle, we managed to catch the plane. the economic miracle of the 1950s. She’s our miracle baby.small/minor miracle (=something lucky but not very important) The fence’s survival in these winds seems like a minor miracle.2 RRCan action or event believed to be caused by God, which is impossible according to the ordinary laws of nature Do you believe in miracles?3 → miracle cure/drug4 → work/perform miracles5 → a miracle of somethingCOLLOCATIONSverbsperform/work a miracle (=achieve something very good which no one thought was possible)The new coach has worked miracles, and the team have won their last four games.believe in miraclesDo you believe in miracles? need a miracleHe'll need a miracle to pass this test.take a miracle (=need a miracle)it would take a miracle to transform her into an elegant woman.hope for a miracleI knew I would probably never walk again, but I couldn’t help hoping for a miracle.pray for a miracleWe prayed for a miracle, but her burns were so severe that she did not survive. a miracle happensThen the miracle happened – there was a job, and I could have it.adjectivesa minor/small miracle (=something lucky but not very important)I’d managed to produce a good meal in half an hour, which seemed like a minor miracle.an economic miracleBrazil seemed to be experiencing an economic miracle.miracle + NOUNa miracle worker (=someone who performs miracles)A doctor is just a person, not a miracle worker.a miracle cure (=something that solves a problem very effectively)Unfortunately, there is no miracle cure for thinning hair.a miracle drug (=a very effective drug that cures a serious disease)Why is this new miracle drug so expensive? phrasesit’s a miracle (that)It’s a miracle you weren’t killedsomething is no miracleIt was no miracle, it was just good planning and leadership.something is nothing short of a miracle (=it is extremely unexpected and you are very pleased about it)What has happened is nothing short of a miracle.don't expect miraclesDon’t expect miracles. A hairdresser can't make a 50-year-old look like a 20-year-old.
Examples from the Corpus
miracle• It'll be a miracle if we get to the airport in time.• Manley's hope for an economic miracle in Jamaica was not realized.• Both instances were examples of those soccer healing miracles, as Estrada was able to continue play moments later.• She performed many miracles and had the gift of prophecy.• But she was still paralyzed, and they could work no miracle.• But then a man like him was in no need of miracles.• A number of miracles have been attributed to him, due to the unearthing.• Genetic testing is indeed a scientific miracle.• I can call myself lucky because streptomycin, the miracle drug, is newly available.• And then the miracle Ellie was still praying for happened.• It is a position of danger where miracles of healing may occur but miracles of disaster also.• And she has already been known, you tell me, to work miracles.small/minor miracle• Tonight feels like a small miracle, laughing and dancing without language.• It's a small miracle that none of the Yorkshire 10 is crushed as she lies down.• A small miracle after the endless hiding.• From the kitchen wafts the fragrance of fresh-baked. minor miracles.• Indeed, small miracles have been achieved in improving efficiency, shortening in-patient stay and improving facilities for day-surgery.• We made it through the campaign without being found out, no small miracle.• But rarely have sport and literature combined so seamlessly as in this small miracle of a book.• Between us we had even hired a video so that we could record this minor miracle of medical history for posterity.Origin miracle (1100-1200) Old French Latin miraculum 