flukes

plural of fluke
as in accidents
an unexpected benefit or advantage resulting from the uncertain course of events the discovery of oil on their property was just an amazing fluke

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of flukes Their odds of winning the World Series – a famously finicky task prone to small sample size flukes – were over 25%, one-in-four for one of baseball’s 30 teams. Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026 Guests at Brookfield Zoo can identify her in Dolphin Bay by her distinctive features, including a freckle on her tongue, pink coloration on her ventral side, and smaller flukes and dorsal fins in relation to her body size. Adam Harrington, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026 These moments are not flukes either. Mark Carey, New York Times, 26 June 2026 Whale song, the splashing of flippers, the flashing of flukes. Julie Orringer, Travel + Leisure, 9 June 2026 That kind of overlap across two major rankings signals these aren’t flukes. Lauren Schuster, Sacbee.com, 20 Apr. 2026 From a human perspective, whales are born backwards, emerging flukes first. Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 26 Mar. 2026 Who knew if these roles were flukes — one-offs, novelties — or if Jerry Adler would defy the odds stacked up against any actor, much less a sexagenarian new to the game, and continue to find work in his newfound profession. Howard Franklin, HollywoodReporter, 28 Aug. 2025 But by a series of flukes, Friedman never once auditioned for the CSO. Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flukes
Noun
  • The other is a powerful exposé on the safety breaches that have caused deadly crashes and accidents on Boeing airplanes.
    Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Nuclear power development stalled after high-profile accidents such as the 1979 Three Mile Island meltdown and the 1986 Chernobyl disaster fueled public fears of the technology.
    Roxy Ekberg, NBC news, 24 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • The Astros, meanwhile, made the most of some of their chances.
    LaMond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2026
  • To improve chances of a timely reply, patients should start messages by greeting their doctor by name, ideally including both first and last names.
    Paul Hsieh, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • If Dublin has any luck left for underdogs, Belichick could certainly use some.
    Giovanni Malloy, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Games that involve equal parts strategy and luck are ideal for groups that meet regularly.
    Heather Bien, Southern Living, 29 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Flukes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flukes. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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