# luck of the draw

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/luck-of-the-draw
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

The random production or occurrence of favorable or unfavorable results.

## Examples

- Winning this game is just the luck of the draw.
- Getting a nice boss is often just the luck of the draw.
- The weather during your vacation is usually the luck of the draw.
- You cannot choose your seat on the plane, so it is just the luck of the draw.
- I ended up with a very noisy hotel room, but that is just the luck of the draw when you book a cheap deal.
- We did not get to pick our partners for the project, so our final grade depends on the luck of the draw.
- You might get a friendly interviewer or a strict one, as the schedule is purely the luck of the draw.
- Whether one is born into wealth or poverty remains, in many respects, merely the luck of the draw.

## Origin

Derived from games of chance in which objects such as playing cards, straws, or marbles are distributed or withdrawn at random from a container. The idiom alludes to the lack of agency involved when receiving a hand from a card deck or a marble from a bag, where the outcome is determined entirely by the draw.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.