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

• 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

The current collective bargaining agreement is set to expire after the 2025-26 season, and the two sides ratified a new four-year deal in June, more than a year ahead of the expiration, as both sides are prospering. —Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 1 Oct. 2025

Melts in Your Mouth, Not in Your Hand Hershey wasn’t the only company to prosper during World War II. —Diana Hubbell, Popular Science, 1 Oct. 2025

The new partnership between farmers and advocates will let agriculture prosper while protecting one of Indiana's largest watersheds. —Karl Schneider, IndyStar, 25 Sep. 2025

This boom also led to the rise of the Indian middle class, and urban centers such as Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai and Pune prospered thanks to the IT industry. —Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 25 Sep. 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