out of luck

Idioms and Phrases

Having bad fortune, experiencing a misfortune, as in You're out of luck if you want a copy; we just sold the last one . This expression, first recorded in 1867, assumes that good fortune is a finite quantity that one can run out of. However, it generally applies to more temporary circumstances than being down on one's luck .

Example Sentences

Over 1,500 unclaimed or out-of-luck New Yorkers are buried each year in the isolation of a giant graveyard on Hart Island.

From The Daily Beast

Related Words

• adverse
• damaging
• deplorable
• disastrous
• inappropriate
• inauspicious
• lamentable
• regrettable
• unlucky
• untoward