opportunity knocks
Luck presents itself
Opportunity knocks refers to a chance presenting itself, from the proverb "opportunity knocks but once"—the idea that favorable circumstances appear briefly and must be seized.
The phrase often appears when someone recognizes a moment to act: When opportunity knocks, you answer the door.
It can be used straightforwardly or ironically, depending on whether the "opportunity" is genuinely promising.
- chanceLikelihood of occurrence
- open doorBarrier removed for entry
- doorHinged room barrier
- goldenBright yellow, or precious
- seizeTake suddenly, forcibly
carpe diem · moment · once in a lifetime · fortune · luck · window · threshold · timing · break · big break · prospect · opening · destiny · grasp · answer the call · calling · invitation · possibilities
- opportunityonce in a lifetime, golden chance, big break, lucky break, open door
- Urgency phrasesact now, take action, act fast, now or never, seize the day
opportunity knocksmissed opportunity
Chance not taken
ship has sailed · too late · dead end · no chance · stagnation
opportunity knocksbad luck
Unfavorable chance events
calamity · adversity · hard times · setback · hardship
opportunity knockscertainty
Total absence of doubt
inevitability · foregone conclusion · dead cert · lock · sure bet
opportunity, opportunities, opportune, opportunely, opportunism, opportunist, opportunistic, opportunistically, inopportune