ACT OF GOD

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does act of God mean? 

• ACT OF GOD (noun)
  The noun ACT OF GOD has 1 sense:

1. a natural and unavoidable catastrophe that interrupts the expected course of events

  Familiarity information: ACT OF GOD used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• ACT OF GOD (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A natural and unavoidable catastrophe that interrupts the expected course of events

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Synonyms:

act of God; force majeure; inevitable accident; unavoidable casualty; vis major

Context example:

he discovered that his house was not insured against acts of God

Hypernyms ("act of God" is a kind of...):

calamity; cataclysm; catastrophe; disaster; tragedy (an event resulting in great loss and misfortune)

 Context examples 

Then they sauntered over to my house and sat on the steps for half an hour while at her request I remained watchfully in the garden: In case there's a fire or a flood, she explained, or any act of God.

(The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald)