# hap

/ˈhæp/ (US) · /hˈæp/ (UK) · CEFR C2 · Noun

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/hap
Updated: 2026-05-31

## Definition

a person's luck or fate, especially when it happens by chance. It is an old-fashioned word for how things turn out in life.

For teachers: one's fortune, luck, or lot in life. Primarily literary or archaic in modern usage, though it persists in certain regional dialects to describe a chance occurrence.

## Examples

- By some strange hap, we met again in the city.
- Whether by good hap or careful planning, the harvest was finished before the first frost arrived.
- The poet muses on the cruel hap of the protagonist, whose downfall is precipitated not by a moral failing but by a series of unfortunate coincidences beyond his control.

## Usage notes

- In modern English, the word is almost exclusively found in literary contexts or as the root of 'happen' and 'mishap'.

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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.