prosper

verb

pros·​per ˈprä-spər 

prospered; prospering ˈprä-sp(ə-)riŋ 

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

Synonyms of prosper

• thrive
• flourish

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

Even if things didn’t always go right for the 6ft 5in striker in an entertaining contest, Bristol City’s efforts in trying to contain him allowed others to prosper, as their manager Gerhard Struber admitted afterwards. —Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 27 Nov. 2025

David Adelman instead asked for one stop from Spencer Jones, the eager 24-year-old wing who has prospered as a defensive specialist on a two-way contract. —Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 23 Nov. 2025

In fact, many nations have prospered without being so monolithic, and there are shades of nationalism, multiculturalism, and liberalism, which allow countries to thrive without making black-and-white choices. —Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 22 Nov. 2025

Yes, prospered, as in did not wish to accept anything less. —Joe Soucheray, Twin Cities, 8 Nov. 2025

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

Kids Definition

prosper

verb

pros·​per ˈpräs-pər 

prospered; prospering -p(ə-)riŋ 

1

: to succeed or make money in something one is doing

2

: thrive sense 1, flourish

3

: to cause to become prosperous