an act of God

act of God

A natural disaster, or any similar large-scale event beyond human control. I don't care about a little rain—only an act of God will keep us from getting married today. There is no way to prepare for a sudden act of God like an earthquake. If my best friend is going to be starring in a Broadway play, I will be there in the front row for sure. An act of God couldn't keep me away!
See also: act, god, of
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

an act of God

an occurrence or an event for which no human is responsible; an act of nature such as a storm, an earthquake, or a wildfire. Will your insurance com­ pany pay for damage caused by earthquakes and other acts of God?
See also: act, an, god, of
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

an act of God

An act of God is an event that is beyond human control, especially one in which something is damaged or someone is hurt. The President described the disaster as an act of God. The manmade financial crisis came on top of an act of God, a terrible winter of heavy snowfall and ice. Note: This expression is sometimes used in legal documents such as insurance documents.
See also: act, an, god, of
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012

an ˌact of ˈGod

(law) an event caused by natural forces which people cannot control or prevent, for example a hurricane (= a very strong wind), an earthquake, etc: The insurance covers your house against all types of damage, excluding those caused by acts of God.
See also: act, an, god, of
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
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References in classic literature ?
Tyler's assistant secretary, who had been left at home, assured me that there was no doubt but that the Toreador had sailed as promised, since he knew his employer well enough to be positive that nothing short of an act of God would prevent his doing what he had planned to do.
View in context
We all fought shy of 30d on the east and 175d on the west, and, though we had to skirt them pretty close, nothing but an act of God ever drew one of us across.
View in context
Mohammed Malala while urging those affected by the incident to take it as an act of God advised them to always switch off their electric appliances considering the epileptic nature of the power supply in the country.
25 Shops, Goods Worth Millions Of Naira Destroyed As Fire Guts Gombe Main Market
He now says we have lost all our money as this was an act of God and he had paid hotel and transport costs beforehand.
Was the Beast from the East an 'act of God'? IN ASSOCIATION WITH
"was an Act of God, that its severity and--in particular--its storm
SOOTHSAYERS, SAILORS, AND SUPERSTORM SANDY: LESSONS FROM AN ACT OF GOD
A: An act of God has been defined as an accident, due directly and exclusively to natural causes without human intervention, which by no amount of foresight, pains or care, reasonably to have been expected, could have been prevented.
The day the earth grumbled
During the hearing the HESCO's counsel argued that the incident was an act of God and that the company's officials could not face the criminal litigation.
Court directs to register FIR against HESCO officials
As her characters consider the insurance and landlord-tenant issues resulting from a conclusion that the alien growth is an act of God ("When did State Farm become religious?" Vida asks her insurance agent), Ciment orchestrates an increasingly complicated plot with consummate skill.
Act of God
Alaska Integrated Media was not able to successfully argue that the fence around the transmitter of KOAN-AM Anchorage was inaccessible, nor was it able to pin blame for the damage on an act of God.
KOAN heads for the checkbook for fence fine
We do everything to ensure that we do not have accidents, but it is an act of God," she said.
Aircraft News - Africa / Middle East
SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX Today, Sky Sports 1, 1pm From BYRON YOUNG IN SINGAPORE LEWIS HAMILTON said it would take "an act of God" to stop Sebastian Vettel taking his fourth world title.
UNSTOPPABLE; Hamilton: We need act of God to halt Seb
In this argument using a single, well-known secular fact and three simple logic steps, Shaunfield shows that the origin of life on earth was a supernatural event and therefore an act of God. This has two profound implications: 1) God set up the system of life and reproduction using the DNA coding system and 2) God does on occasion intervene in the universe.
Origin of Life Revealed in New Book
"It wasn't an act of God. It was an act of stupidity" ITV football commentator Adrian Chiles, below, on the failure of authorities to close the roof on the Warsaw stadium where the Poland-England match had to be postponed because of torrential rain "I would not pay tuppence for a cupcake, and the absurdity of the wedding cake is a very good reason for not marrying."
THEY SAID WHAT?
More seriously, this outbreak is NOT an act of God but of sloppy maintenance - and I trust that those responsible will be traced, charged and duly prosecuted.
Sloppiness is to blame
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