fortune

1 of 2

noun

for·​tune ˈfȯr-chən 

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

b

: luck sense 1

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

intransitive verb

archaic : happen, chance

Synonyms

Noun

• future

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

This reversal of fortunes for Britain’s indies has been partly attributed to Record Store Day, which launched in 2007. —Jordan Bassett, SPIN, 18 July 2024

Along with Arnault, luxury-world billionaires such as Françoise Bettencourt Meyers and François-Henri Pinault have seen their fortunes tumble. —Tori Latham, Robb Report, 17 July 2024

Thiel made his fortune as an early investor in PayPal in the 1990s and Facebook in the 2000s. —Erin Mansfield, USA TODAY, 17 July 2024

Housing, once the ticket to wealth in China, is now draining fortunes A three-year slump in the property sector has sparked widespread financial insecurity. —Shira Ovide, Washington Post, 16 July 2024

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

Phrases Containing fortune

• a hostage to fortune
• fortune cookie
• fortune hunter
• fortune teller
• gentleman of fortune
• seek one's fortune
• small fortune
• soldier of fortune

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