Get lucky means to have good luck, often when you least expect it: I got lucky, we got lucky with the weather. People say it when a good result came from chance rather than effort. It sounds informal, so in an essay write fortunately or by chance instead.
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get lucky; got lucky (past); get lucky with + noun (the weather, the tickets)
- We got lucky with the weather: it rained all week but stayed dry for the wedding.
- I hadn't booked a table, but we got lucky because someone had just cancelled.
- The company didn't just get lucky; it spent two years testing the product with real customers.
What changed
First versionI didn't study much for the test, but I got luck and passed.
RevisionI didn't study much for the test, but I got lucky and passed.
After get you need the adjective lucky, just as in get tired or get ready. Luck is the noun, the good fortune itself, and it belongs in other phrases: Good luck!, with a bit of luck. The two words are close in form and meaning, which is why they are so often mixed up.
Be lucky simply says that someone has good luck, either in life in general or in one situation: You're lucky to have a job you love. Get lucky focuses on the moment when chance suddenly worked in your favour: We got lucky and found parking right outside. Be careful with I got lucky last night on its own: people may hear it as a hint about a successful date. Say straight away what you were lucky with: I got lucky with the tickets.
Your turn
I missed the bus, but I ___: a colleague was driving past and gave me a lift.
Show the answer
got lucky — A colleague happened to be driving past, which is a lucky coincidence, and that is exactly what got lucky describes. Got a luck is wrong twice: luck is not used with a, and in this meaning get needs the adjective lucky.
Think of a time you got lucky on a trip. Write what went wrong and what saved the situation.
Our flight was cancelled, but we got lucky: the airline put us on another plane two hours later.
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