light upon
Chance to find
Light upon means to discover or encounter something by chance.
The phrase carries a sense of fortunate accident—you weren't searching systematically when you found it: I lit upon an old photograph while cleaning the attic.
The past tense is lit upon or lighted upon.
The expression is somewhat literary and old-fashioned; stumble upon or come across are more common in everyday speech.
Lose footing momentarily
- encounterUnexpected meeting or confrontation
- findLocate through effort
- uncoverReveal what's hidden
- come acrossFind accidentally
bump into · run into · spot · detect · notice · espy · unearth · meet
Sudden profound insight
- insightDeep perceptive understanding
- revelationSurprising disclosed truth
- aha momentSudden flash of understanding
- awakeningReturn to consciousness
clarity · understanding · recognition · discernment · comprehension · illumination · grasp · perception
Wealth or destiny
- flukeChance stroke of luck
- coincidenceUnplanned matching of events
- accidentUnintended harmful event
- chanceLikelihood of occurrence
serendipity · windfall · luck · providence · fate · kismet · blessing · boon
stumble
Lose footing momentarily
come across · bump into · run into · spot · detect · notice · espy · unearth · meet · reveal
epiphany
Sudden profound insight
- insightDeep perceptive understanding
- revelationSurprising disclosed truth
- aha momentSudden flash of understanding
awakening · clarity · understanding · recognition · discernment · comprehension · illumination · grasp · perception · awareness
fortune
Wealth or destiny
- flukeChance stroke of luck
- coincidenceUnplanned matching of events
- accidentUnintended harmful event
chance · serendipity · windfall · luck · providence · fate · kismet · blessing · boon · happenstance
- discoveryfind, finding, discovery, discover, finding out