noun
karma
KAH-muh
noun
1
In Hindu and Buddhist thought, the total effect of a person's actions, believed to shape their fate in this life or the next.
"She believes in karma, so she's always careful about how she treats people."
"Monks teach that good karma comes from acting with kindness and honesty."
2
Loosely, the everyday idea that good or bad actions eventually come back around to you.
"He cut in line and got a flat tyre an hour later — instant karma, his friends said."
3
A general feeling, mood, or energy given off by a person or place.
"There was bad karma in the office after the layoffs were announced."
How to Use Karma
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe idea that what you do — good or bad — eventually comes back to affect you.
Common mistake
In everyday English "karma" is usually used loosely as instant moral payback, which is a simplification of the original religious concept about actions shaping future rebirths.
Common pairings
good karma
bad karma
instant karma
karma will catch up
Word Forms
karmas plural
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She believes in _____, so she's always careful about how she treats people.
Etymology
Borrowed from Sanskrit karma ("action, deed"), first used in English in 1785 in an early translation of the Bhagavad Gita.