Meaning & use
miracle
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Meanings
nouncountablereligion
An event that seems impossible by the normal laws of nature and is often credited to a divine power.
Grammar: Usually takes an or the: a miracle happened.
Patterns
- a miracle of something
- work a miracle
Pilgrims believed the spring had healed the blind, and they called it a miracle.
The villagers spoke of the harvest as a miracle sent after years of drought.
In the story, the saint performs a miracle by feeding a crowd with a few loaves.
nouncountablefigurative
Any very lucky or surprising event, especially one that turns a bad situation around.
Grammar: Often used loosely in everyday speech: it's a miracle that he survived.
Patterns
- it is a miracle that…
- a miracle cure
It was a miracle that nobody was hurt when the roof collapsed.
Getting all the guests to the airport on time was nothing short of a miracle.
She says the new medicine worked miracles for her sleep.
nouncountable
An impressive example of something, showing great skill or quality.
Grammar: Followed by of: a miracle of engineering.
Patterns
- a miracle of something
The bridge is a miracle of modern engineering.
Her tiny garden is a miracle of careful planning.
Word forms
| plural | miracles |
|---|
Common combinations
- perform a miracle
- The doctor said he could not perform miracles, only do his best.
- nothing short of a miracle
- Finishing the building by June would be nothing short of a miracle.
- a miracle cure
- There is no miracle cure for a bad habit.
- pray for a miracle
- The family could only pray for a miracle.
- economic miracle
- Post-war growth was called an economic miracle.
- by some miracle
- By some miracle, the old car started.
Synonyms and how they differ
- wonder
- A wonder is something that causes amazement but need not break the laws of nature, so it is weaker than miracle.
- marvel
- A marvel is something admired for its quality, while a miracle suggests an event that seems impossible.
- fluke
- A fluke is a lucky accident with no suggestion of anything wonderful or divine, and it can sound dismissive.
Opposites
Word family
- miraculous adjective
- seeming like a miracle; extraordinary
- miraculously adverb
- in a way that seems impossible or extremely lucky
- miracle worker noun
- a person who achieves surprisingly good results
Commonly confused: miracle or mirage?
miracle vs mirage
A mirage is an optical illusion, such as water seen in a desert, not an event that really happens.
Practice
Which sentence uses miracle in a loose, everyday sense?
Choose one answer.
Only the bus sentence uses miracle for ordinary good luck. The other options all refer to religious miracles.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “miracle”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.