How to Use happenstance in a Sentence

happenstance

noun
  • It was an agreeable happenstance that we met.
  • We met each other by happenstance.
  • Our meeting was pure happenstance.
  • Where a child is born and grows up is a happenstance of birth.
    — Tomiko Brown-Nagin, CNN, 6 Apr. 2022
  • Palou didn’t reach this place by happenstance.
    — Michael Marot, Chicago Tribune, 24 May 2026
  • What if judges are swayed as much by the time of day or other happenstance?
    — William Tipper and Taylor Cromwell, WSJ, 8 July 2021
  • For all the time spent planning, so much of life comes down to happenstance.
    — Nancy Armour, USA TODAY, 1 July 2019
  • That epiphany was purely happenstance like all the best things.
    — Kristen Shirley, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2021
  • Perhaps even two or three odd happenstances.
    — Liza Esquibias, USA Today, 2 June 2026
  • By luck and happenstance, no two of them coveted the same piece of land.
    — Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug. 2023
  • This is not one of those turning points that occurred by happenstance.
    — Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 18 Dec. 2019
  • By happenstance, Chicago played a key role in the group’s rise.
    — Bob Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 13 Nov. 2022
  • As for the timing of both projects taking place back to back, that’s pure happenstance.
    — John Benson, cleveland, 25 Mar. 2021
  • The run of deals is also, in some respects, sheer happenstance.
    — Andrew Beaton, WSJ, 5 Sep. 2018
  • Khilwai, the village that fared well, was spared in part because of happenstance.
    — New York Times, 11 July 2021
  • But Haiti didn’t become this way by happenstance.
    — Ruth Jean-Marie, Time, 3 Feb. 2026
  • Some of them arise by in a sense happenstance, while others are baked into the pudding.
    — Lance Eliot, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024
  • By happenstance, the group descended via an older route that’s no longer in use.
    — Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 July 2024
  • And the third thing is sort of breaking news, happenstance, people who are admired.
    — Amanda Mitchell, Marie Claire, 11 Apr. 2019
  • Bourgeois said that the above stories were not the result of happenstance.
    — Evan MacDonald, cleveland.com, 22 Dec. 2017
  • Ours is a path this new crew may follow, health and happenstance permitting.
    — Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 6 May 2026
  • That performance didn’t come by mere happenstance, though.
    — Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 14 Nov. 2025
  • And June 14, which by happenstance is my birthday.
    — Joseph Konig, PEOPLE, 12 June 2026
  • And June 14, which by happenstance is my birthday.
    — Madison E. Goldberg, PEOPLE, 13 June 2026
  • The researchers were able to deduce in a number of ways that the child's body didn't end up in the cave floor by happenstance.
    — Katie Hunt, CNN, 5 May 2021
  • That wasn’t just happenstance, either.
    — Aaron Portzline, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2026
  • The ketamine lead only ended up in the right hands by happenstance, said Davis.
    — Katie Palmer, STAT, 5 Aug. 2021
  • This fortuitous happenstance is the best evidence of plumes to date, the study said.
    — Ashley Strickland, CNN, 14 May 2018
  • By happenstance, all these people were able to be there in London before the world closed down.
    — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 12 Mar. 2021
  • What may not be so happenstance is that many of the picks Monday should sign for under their slot value.
    — Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 18 July 2022

Some of 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.

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