prosper

verb

pros·​per ˈprä-spər How to pronounce prosper (audio)
prospered; prospering ˈprä-sp(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce prosper (audio)

intransitive verb

1
: to succeed in an enterprise or activity
especially : to achieve economic success
2
: to become strong and flourishing

transitive verb

: to cause to succeed or thrive

Examples of prosper in a Sentence

She prospered as a real estate agent. He hopes his business will prosper. No crop can prosper in this heat.
Recent Examples on the Web On the whole, though, Joseph says Dayton has prospered by reaching out to immigrants rather than turning them away. Scott Horsley, NPR, 20 Sep. 2024 As the impact of these guidelines becomes more apparent, there will likely be an increase in pressure from European technology companies for flexibility in these regulations, broadening the definition of risk and giving companies additional room to prosper. Karthik Sj, Forbes, 19 Sep. 2024 Intel’s results add to the mixed picture across the semiconductor sector, where companies like AMD and Nvidia continue to prosper from the boom in artificial intelligence. Arjun Kharpal, CNBC, 2 Aug. 2024 The charity works to help those from vulnerable backgrounds build skills to prosper through various courses and opportunities and has helped over one million young people across the U.K. to date. Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 12 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for prosper 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'prosper.' 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

Middle English prosperen, borrowed from Anglo-French prosperer "to promote, foster, be fortunate or successful," borrowed from Latin prosperāre "to cause to succeed, further" (Medieval Latin also, in passive, "to be granted success, succeed"), verbal derivative of prosperus "agreeable to one's wishes, successful, prosperous"

First Known Use

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

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

Dictionary Entries Near prosper

Cite this Entry

“Prosper.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prosper. Accessed 7 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

prosper

verb
pros·​per ˈpräs-pər How to pronounce prosper (audio)
prospered; prospering -p(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce prosper (audio)
1
: to succeed or make money in something one is doing
2
3
: to cause to become prosperous

More from Merriam-Webster on prosper

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