fortune

1 of 2

noun

for·​tune ˈfȯr-chən How to pronounce fortune (audio)
1
a
: a very large sum of money
spent a fortune redecorating
b
: riches, wealth
a man of fortune
c
: a store of material possessions
the family fortune
2
a
: prosperity attained partly through luck : success
fortune attended the general's campaign
c
fortunes plural : the turns and courses of luck accompanying one's progress (as through life)
her fortunes varied but she never gave up
3
: destiny, fate
can tell your fortune
also : a prediction of fortune
4
often capitalized : a hypothetical force or personified power that unpredictably determines events and issues favorably or unfavorably
a country favored by fortune
5
obsolete : accident, incident

fortune

2 of 2

verb

fortuned; fortuning

transitive verb

1
obsolete : to give good or bad fortune to
2
archaic : to endow with a fortune

Examples of fortune in a Sentence

Noun He hoped to achieve fame and fortune. They had the good fortune to escape injury when their car crashed. The book follows the fortunes of two families through the years.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The account bolstered the prosecution’s argument that the men were protecting not just Mr. Trump’s personal reputation, but his political fortunes. Maggie Haberman, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2024 Few stocks have been as volatile as Trump Media & Technology Group in recent weeks, but if shares can avoid a massive plunge for the next two trading days, Donald Trump’s personal fortune is set to leapfrog once again. Chris Morris, Fortune, 22 Apr. 2024 And that’s assuming there are no reversals of fortune. Liz Weston, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Apr. 2024 Their fortunes reflect not merely adequacy of water flows in California rivers and bays, but water quality. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2024 One of Shaheen’s other books, The Lucky Girl Journal—which teaches readers how to manifest their own good fortune, rather than leaving things up to chance—has sold more than 25,000 copies on the app’s store. Caroline Mimbs Nyce, The Atlantic, 17 Apr. 2024 Also, inflation has already been a drag on Biden’s political fortunes, and his turn toward protectionism echoes Trump’s playbook. Will Weissert, Twin Cities, 17 Apr. 2024 By Karl Vick April 17, 2024 7:02 AM EDT The kingdoms of the Persian Gulf prosper by providing the world oil and gas, and the resulting fortunes fuel desires for prestige. Karl Vick, TIME, 17 Apr. 2024 However, the company is already paying a fortune to recover from the cyberattack. Michael Kan, PCMAG, 16 Apr. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fortune.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin fortuna; akin to Latin fort-, fors chance, luck, and perhaps to ferre to carry — more at bear

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of fortune was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near fortune

Cite this Entry

“Fortune.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fortune. Accessed 30 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

fortune

noun
for·​tune
ˈfȯr-chən
1
a
: favorable results that come partly by chance : good luck
b
: what happens to a person : good or bad luck
follows the fortunes of two families through the years
2
: what is to happen to one in the future
had my fortune told
also : a prediction of fortune
3
a
: the possession of material goods : wealth
b
: a store of material possessions : riches
the family fortune
c
: a large sum of money

More from Merriam-Webster on fortune

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