prospect

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noun pros·pect \ ˈprä-ˌspekt \

Definition of prospect

1 :exposure 3b

2 a (1) :an extensive view

(2) :a mental consideration :survey

b :a place that commands an extensive view :lookout

c :something extended to the view :scene

d archaic :a sketch or picture of a scene

3 obsolete :aspect

4 a :the act of looking forward :anticipation

b :a mental picture of something to come :vision

c :something that is awaited or expected :possibility

d prospects plural

(1) :financial expectations

(2) :chances

5 :a place showing signs of containing a mineral deposit

6 a :a potential buyer or customer

b :a likely candidate for a job or position

— in prospect

:possible or likely for the future

See prospect defined for English-language learners

See prospect defined for kids

Examples of prospect in a Sentence

the frightening prospect of going to war
She is excited by the prospect of returning to school.
Bankruptcy is an unlikely prospect for the company.
There was no prospect that the two parties would reach an agreement anytime soon.
a young baseball player who's considered a top prospect
We haven't decided which car to buy yet. We're still looking at a few prospects.

Recent Examples of prospect from the Web

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Parliament’s top Brexit official said Wednesday that the slow progress of the divorce proceedings between the European Union and Britain has ensured that the prospect of a prolonged transition period is gaining traction.

— raf casert, The Seattle Times, "Top EU lawmaker says Brexit delays raise need for transition," 30 Aug. 2017
Why the U.S. and Canada Are Fighting About Lumber: QuickTake Q&A Prospects for an accord have faded, according to some analysts.

— jen skerritt, Bloomberg.com, "U.S. Delays Ruling on Canada Lumber Duties," 29 Aug. 2017
Meanwhile, rising prospect Eloy Jimenez will play in the Dominican Republic during the offseason.

— chris kuc, chicagotribune.com, "White Sox starter Derek Holland to aid hurricane recovery efforts," 29 Aug. 2017
Also like the tech innovators of Silicon Valley, Farnsworth thought his invention had utopian prospects.

— kat eschner, Smithsonian, "The Farmboy Who Invented Television," 28 Aug. 2017
Days is ranked as high as 58th in the nation, by 247Sports.com, and is considered a four-star prospect across the four major recruiting sites.

— jeff greer, The Courier-Journal, "Louisville basketball | 2018 forward Darius Days includes Cards in his final five," 27 Aug. 2017
The prospect of a FitBit had lodged in my brain like a dart on a bull’s eye—

— diana spechler, Bon Appetit, "I Ditched Everything for My Dream Life, Then I Did It Again," 23 Aug. 2017
The prospect of Kennedy chairing a committee devoted to dangerous, tinfoil-hat medical theories was another sign that the Obama administration’s judicious approach was about to give way to a new age of ignorant darkness.

— benjamin hart, Daily Intelligencer, "Trump Is Failing to Follow Through on Many of His Worst Ideas," 22 Aug. 2017
Here's a closer look at the prospects of the two city girls’ golf teams for 2017.

— charles rich, Burbank Leader, "Girls’ Golf Preview: New additions look to spark Burroughs, Burbank," 18 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'prospect.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

Since the Latin prefix pro- often means "forward", prospect refers to looking forward. The prospect of a recession may lead investors to pull their money out of the stock market. Graduates of a good law school usually have excellent prospects for finding employment. Prospective students roam campuses with their parents in the year before they plan to enter college.

Origin and Etymology of prospect

Middle English, from Latin prospectus view, prospect, from prospicere to look forward, exercise foresight, from pro- forward + specere to look — more at pro-, spy

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

prospect Synonyms

Synonyms

command, lookout, outlook, panorama, perspective, view, vista

Antonyms

noncandidate

Related Words

landscape, scene, scenery; ken, sight; visual field

Near Antonyms

incumbent, officeholder; awardee, honoree, inductee; dropout

Synonym Discussion of prospect

prospect, outlook, anticipation, foretaste mean an advance realization of something to come. prospect implies expectation of a particular event, condition, or development of definite interest or concern.

- the prospect of a quiet weekend

outlook suggests a forecasting of the future.

- a favorable outlook for the economy

anticipation implies a prospect or outlook that involves advance suffering or enjoyment of what is foreseen.

- the anticipation of her arrival

foretaste implies an actual though brief or partial experience of something forthcoming.

- the frost was a foretaste of winter

prospect

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verb pros·pect \ ˈprä-ˌspekt , chiefly British prə-ˈ \

Definition of prospect

intransitive verb

:to explore an area especially for mineral deposits

transitive verb

:to inspect (a region) for mineral deposits; broadly :explore

—

prospector

play \-ˌspek-tər, -ˈspek-\ noun

See prospect defined for English-language learners

Examples of prospect in a Sentence

soon all manner of people had arrived in the valley to prospect it for gold

Recent Examples of prospect from the Web

The lanky Texas geologist, who had spent his early years prospecting for oil in South America, just knew that uranium was hidden where nobody was looking, deep in the same kind of anticlinal or archlike formations that yielded oil.

— aaron robinson, Car and Driver, "2017 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Crew Cab Diesel," 27 July 2017
Curry (@CBenn_2) July 22, 2017 Benn a 6-foot, 170-pound prospect out of Landry-Walker is part of one of the state's deepest and most talented secondaries.

— amos morale iii, NOLA.com, "Landry-Walker 2018 cornerback Curry Benn commits to Southern Miss," 23 July 2017
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cleveland Indians prospect Shane Bieber was named the Class A Carolina League Pitcher of the Week.

— branson wright, cleveland.com, "Lynchburg's Shane Bieber named Carolina League Pitcher of the Week: Cleveland Indians Minor Leagues (video)," 30 June 2017
While federal land can only be prospected by accredited academics in possession of a permit, dinosaur bones found on private land are private property: Anybody can dig with the permission of the owner.

— mike sager, Smithsonian, "Will the Public Ever Get to See the “Dueling Dinosaurs”?," 28 June 2017
Copeland is a 6-foot, 192-pound prospect out of Escambia High in Pensacola, Fla.

— tom green, AL.com, "Auburn hoping for big, 'special class' at wide receiver in 2018," 14 June 2017
The task force applauds World Business' accomplishments while advocating more aggressive global image-building and pushing businesses, universities, cultural and civic institutions to team up to prospect for worldwide opportunities.

— robert reed, chicagotribune.com, "A plan to protect Chicago's global trade business," 9 June 2017
And while early-stage exploration budgets haven’t kept pace with spending at existing mines, prospecting hot spots are starting to pop up in traditional destinations Canada, Australia and Latin America.

— danielle bochove, Bloomberg.com, "From Yukon to Patagonia, Gold Explorers Stir After Sleep," 18 May 2017
More: Prospect OKs $100K to fight affordable housing The city of Prospect's council voted not only to oppose the LDG plans but to spend up to $100,000 to fight the Prospect Cove venture.

— sheldon s. shafer, The Courier-Journal, "To fight affordable housing, Prospect pursues retail and restaurant project," 16 May 2017

First Known Use of prospect

1834

prospect Synonyms

Synonyms

hunt, probe, explore, search, skirr

Related Words

reconnoiter (or reconnoitre), scout; disclose, discover, reveal, unearth; fathom, plumb, sound

PROSPECT Defined for English Language Learners

prospect

play

noun

Definition of prospect for English Language Learners

: the possibility that something will happen in the future
: an opportunity for something to happen
: someone or something that is likely to succeed or to be chosen

prospect

play

verb

Definition of prospect for English Language Learners

: to search an area for gold, minerals, oil, etc.

PROSPECT Defined for Kids

prospect

play

noun pros·pect \ ˈprä-ˌspekt \

Definition of prospect for Students

1 :something that is waited for or expected :possibility

… he was quite pleased at the prospect of a whole winter of reading travel books …
—Richard and Florence Atwater, Mr. Popper's Penguins

2 :someone or something that is likely to be successful :a likely candidate

a presidential prospect

3 :a wide view

The room provides a prospect of sea and land.

prospect

verb

Definition of prospect for Students

prospected; prospecting

:to explore especially for mineral deposits

Learn More about prospect

See words that rhyme with prospect Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for prospect Spanish Central: Translation of prospect Nglish: Translation of prospect for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of prospect for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about prospect

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Origin and Etymology of prospect

prospect Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

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Near Antonyms

Synonym Discussion of prospect

prospect

Definition of prospect

prospector

Examples of prospect in a Sentence

Recent Examples of prospect from the Web

First Known Use of prospect

prospect Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

PROSPECT Defined for English Language Learners

prospect

Definition of prospect for English Language Learners

prospect

Definition of prospect for English Language Learners

PROSPECT Defined for Kids

prospect

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prospect

Definition of prospect for Students

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