circumstance
/ˈsɜr·kəmˌstæns/ n [C/U]Definition
› an event or condition connected with what is happening or has happened: [C] The circumstances of the theft of the painting were not known. [C] The circumstances surrounding his disappearance are under investigation. [C] He said that under no circumstances was he returning to Phoenix. [U] Mrs. Smith's lawyers say she was victim of circumstance, not a murderer.
(Definition of circumstance n from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary
© Cambridge University Press)
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