act of God
noun phrase
: an extraordinary interruption by a natural cause (such as a flood or earthquake) of the usual course of events that experience, prescience, or care cannot reasonably foresee or prevent
Examples of act of God in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But since the house was destroyed by an act of God, a review isn’t required, according to Wheeler.
—
Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2024
There is simply no excuse for a stunning failure that, but for a stroke of luck or act of God, would have ended up with Trump’s death, and all of the political and social turmoil that would have come with it.
—The Editors, National Review, 17 July 2024
In the most prominent legal case brought against the club, the final verdict attributed the tragic deaths and destruction to an act of God.
—Thomas D. Beamish, The Conversation, 14 June 2024
The contract also includes a $1.35 million penalty if either party cancels for any reason other than an act of God, such as a pandemic or natural disaster, the discontinuance of the NCAA in its current form, or either team is forced to adjust its schedule because of conference realignment.
—Ron Counts, Idaho Statesman, 4 June 2024
Barring acts of God, the 2024 election will be another Trump–Biden contest.
—David Harsanyi, National Review, 25 Jan. 2024
Where people had once pictured doomsday as an act of God’s wrath or final judgment, now a world could could be gone in an instant, with no sacred significance, no story of salvation.
—Charles Thorpe, Fortune, 1 Aug. 2023
Rather, inflation had arisen from supply chain foul-ups caused by the Covid epidemic, an act of God rendered worse by comic-opera mismanagement under President Donald Trump.
—Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 30 June 2023
But, in the United States, some eighty per cent are thought to be caused not by an act of God but by the recklessness of humans.
—Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 25 June 2023
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of
Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback
about these examples.
Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2024
There is simply no excuse for a stunning failure that, but for a stroke of luck or act of God, would have ended up with Trump’s death, and all of the political and social turmoil that would have come with it.
—The Editors, National Review, 17 July 2024
In the most prominent legal case brought against the club, the final verdict attributed the tragic deaths and destruction to an act of God.
—Thomas D. Beamish, The Conversation, 14 June 2024
The contract also includes a $1.35 million penalty if either party cancels for any reason other than an act of God, such as a pandemic or natural disaster, the discontinuance of the NCAA in its current form, or either team is forced to adjust its schedule because of conference realignment.
—Ron Counts, Idaho Statesman, 4 June 2024
Barring acts of God, the 2024 election will be another Trump–Biden contest.
—David Harsanyi, National Review, 25 Jan. 2024
Where people had once pictured doomsday as an act of God’s wrath or final judgment, now a world could could be gone in an instant, with no sacred significance, no story of salvation.
—Charles Thorpe, Fortune, 1 Aug. 2023
Rather, inflation had arisen from supply chain foul-ups caused by the Covid epidemic, an act of God rendered worse by comic-opera mismanagement under President Donald Trump.
—Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 30 June 2023
But, in the United States, some eighty per cent are thought to be caused not by an act of God but by the recklessness of humans.
—Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 25 June 2023
Dictionary Entries Near act of God
Cite this Entry
“Act of God.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/act%20of%20God. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share