From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishluckyluck‧y /ˈlʌki/ ●●● S2 W3 adjective (comparative luckier, superlative luckiest) 1 LUCKYhaving good luck SYN fortunate OPP unluckybe 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 homeslucky 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 LUCKYresulting 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 LUCKYbringing good luck a lucky charm4 → lucky you/me etc5 → be somebody’s lucky day6 → you’ll/you’d be lucky!7 → I/you should be so lucky! → strike it lucky at strike1(20), → thank your lucky stars at thank(3), → third time lucky at third1(2)COLLOCATIONSverbsfeel luckyI 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.adverbsextremely/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 + NOUNa lucky winnerThe lucky winner of the competition will be announced next week.a lucky man/woman/boy/girlYour 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.phrasesbe lucky enough to do something (=have the good luck to do something)I was lucky enough to be selected for the school team. THESAURUSlucky happening because of good luck, or bringing you good lucka lucky guessSeven is considered a lucky number.It’s lucky that I’ve got some spare keys.Italy got a lucky goal in the last five minutes of the game.‘How did you know he’d be there?’ ‘It was a lucky guess.’fortunate happening because of good luck. Fortunate is more formal than luckyIt was extremely fortunate that there was no one in the building when the bomb went off.I’m in the fortunate position of doing a job I love.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 happenedIt’s a good thing that you brought an umbrella with you.It’s a good job I’m here to help.miraculous extremely lucky in a way that is almost unbelievableA teenager had a miraculous escape last night when the car she was travelling in overturned.The doctor gave her a month to live but she made a miraculous recovery.It was miraculous that no one was seriously injured in the accident.fortuitous /fɔːˈtjuːɪtəs/ formal happening because of good lucka fortuitous decisiona fortuitous coincidenceIt was fortuitous that no one else was hurt.a fluke /fluːk/ informal something that happens by chance, not because of skill or good judgmentThe goal was a fluke. 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 themMaking money from buying property is easy – you just have to be in the right place at the right time.
Examples from the Corpus
lucky• It was then believed that if a cat crossed your path and did you no harm, you had been incredibly lucky.• One member of the phone tree, however, was not so lucky.• Sand lizards spend most of their time in burrows underground; we had been very lucky.• Yet, while Foinavon was indisputably lucky, bravery and skill also came into the reckoning.• She wears his wedding ring on a chain around her neck, as a lucky charm.• Then there are the lucky few who, every now and then, would splash out upwards of £1,000 on a single fish.• Italy got a lucky goal in the last five minutes of the game.• In the second half, the Red Wings scored a very lucky goal.• "How did you know he'd be there?" "It was a lucky guess."• He should count himself lucky not to have been blamed for the whole fiasco.• My lucky number is seven.• a lucky rabbit's foot• Isn't she lucky - she can eat what she wants and she never gets fat.• I have been lucky that my condition has progressed more slowly than is often the case.• Arthur left the front door unlocked - we're lucky that nothing was stolen.• ''It's lucky that you remembered about the passports'', said Barry as they drove away.• It was probably a lucky throw, a second cautious glance told him.• Even now most scholarly journals pay nothing and you are lucky to get a fee if you talk at a conference.• I'm lucky to live in a nice house and be married to such a nice man.• There are monkeys and zebra, and if you're lucky you might see a lion.be lucky to do/be something• He's lucky to be alive.• People say she was lucky to be alive, but she didn't feel lucky.• We were lucky to find a parking spot right in front of the store.• All the tragedies and happiness in my life are something I am lucky to be able to incorporate into what I do.• But they also know they are lucky to be in Lansing, picking up the trash.• Doctors say he is lucky to be alive.• He was lucky to be alive, he said.• I was lucky to be offered a job with the organisation.• I was lucky to be one of the interviewees-someone had mentioned my name to him.• My father is lucky to be coming home alive and unharmed.lucky guess• Maybe they made a lucky guess.• That had just been a lucky guess.• The reporters could not tell whether this was because Kalmbach was a lucky guess or a ridiculous one.• It had been a lucky guess, that was all.• And a rather malicious lucky guess to boot.• It is a very addictive game of logic, deduction, and lots of lucky guesses when you first play. 