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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
An act of God needs to occur to get an independent movie made.
—Mikey O'Connell, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Nov. 2024
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
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Word History
First Known Use
1611, in the meaning defined above
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 21 Dec. 2024.
Legal Definition
act of God
often capitalized A
: an extraordinary natural event (as a flood or earthquake) that cannot be reasonably foreseen or prevented compare force majeure, inevitable accident, unavoidable accident
Note: It is a defense against liability for injury if the injury is directly and exclusively caused by an act of God.
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