prospect

noun pros·pect \ ˈprä-ˌspekt \

Updated on: 10 Apr 2018

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

Illinois fans salivated over the prospect of having the 6-5 Smith, a freshman, and Dosunmu together for three seasons.

— pat disabato, Daily Southtown, "Beware, Morgan Park's Ayo Dosunmu could be one and done at Illinois," 3 Nov. 2017
You are allowed seven (in-person evaluations of prospects) per year.

— gary bedore, kansascity, "This new KU player got through ‘long year’ on the bench with daily phone calls to dad," 3 Nov. 2017
But Mahmoud, Louisville's 7-foot senior center, couldn't hide his excitement when asked about the prospect of playing for a coach who has been in his shoes.

— jeff greer, The Courier-Journal, "Louisville basketball | In David Padgett, Cards' bigs have coach who sees game like them," 28 Oct. 2017
Daniels grabbed the best offer at the last minute from the Los Angeles Dodgers, who sent three prospects.

— jeff wilson, star-telegram, "Rangers Memory Lane: Darvish-Calhoun swap produces no guarantees for 2018," 26 Oct. 2017
With the prospect of more heat on Wednesday, authorities decided that more than 80 San Diego schools will have another short day Wednesday, as will the handful of schools in Coronado.

— gary robbins, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Temperature records tumble across San Diego County as heat wave peaks," 24 Oct. 2017
But not to worry: the streaming service is replacing them with intriguing prospects, like a new series from the mind of Spike Lee and an indie hit that lit up Sundance.

— joanna robinson, HWD, "What’s New on Netflix in November," 24 Oct. 2017
Now the meeting, which took place in the Queen’s private sitting room on the first floor of the palace, has got royal watchers the world over excited about the prospect of another royal wedding.

— katie nicholl, vanityfair.com, "Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Wedding Date May Already be Set," 19 Oct. 2017
Several top prospects from IMG Academy were slated to stay in Alabama this weekend after playing Hoover and take in the No. 1 Crimson Tide's game against LSU on Saturday night.

— drew champlin, AL.com, "Will nation's No. 3 prospect Xavier Thomas visit Alabama with IMG Academy teammates?," 3 Nov. 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

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.