1
a
: degree or measure of succeeding
b
: favorable or desired outcome
also
: the attainment of wealth, favor, or eminence
2
: one that succeeds
Examples of success in a Sentence
An enormous popular and critical success, The Liars' Club was credited with (or blamed for) launching a new wave of memoir-writing. (Karr deflects this accusation: "I think memoir started with St. Augustine," she told Salon in 1997.)
—
Mollie Wilson O'Reilly, Commonweal, 23 Oct. 2009
Fred tries to keep up his end of the conversation, but without much success; he has never grown bulbs, cooked veal, seen a film by Fassbinder, etc. He feels provincial and out of it …
—Alison Lurie, Foreign Affairs, 2006
Since I was interested in finding out about the successes as well as the failures disabled women experience in the world, I interviewed women who had some work experience, although it was often part-time work and sometimes interrupted.
—Mary Grimley Mason, Working Against Odds, 2004
The necessaries of life for man in this climate may, accurately enough, be distributed under the several heads of Food, Shelter, Clothing, and Fuel; for not till we have secured these are we prepared to entertain the true problems of life with freedom and a prospect of success.
—Henry David Thoreau, Walden, 1854
Success came easily to him.
She is country music's most recent success.
The growth of the tourism industry is one of the city's great successes.
Mollie Wilson O'Reilly, Commonweal, 23 Oct. 2009
Fred tries to keep up his end of the conversation, but without much success; he has never grown bulbs, cooked veal, seen a film by Fassbinder, etc. He feels provincial and out of it …
—Alison Lurie, Foreign Affairs, 2006
Since I was interested in finding out about the successes as well as the failures disabled women experience in the world, I interviewed women who had some work experience, although it was often part-time work and sometimes interrupted.
—Mary Grimley Mason, Working Against Odds, 2004
The necessaries of life for man in this climate may, accurately enough, be distributed under the several heads of Food, Shelter, Clothing, and Fuel; for not till we have secured these are we prepared to entertain the true problems of life with freedom and a prospect of success.
—Henry David Thoreau, Walden, 1854
Success came easily to him.
She is country music's most recent success.
The growth of the tourism industry is one of the city's great successes.
Recent Examples on the Web
Arguably the most important quantitative element would be how many surgeries the doctor performed and the success rate.
—R.j. Shook, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025
The Frozen Zoo has notched some reproductive breakthroughs over the years, including in 2023 when researchers were able to successfully freeze sunflower sea star sperm, thaw it and fertilize eggs that resulted in larvae developing with a high rate of success.
—Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 July 2025
In our current complex global economy, success will belong to enterprises built to thrive amid volatility, not those waiting for the turbulence to pass.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 10 July 2025
Editor’s note: This story is a part of Peak, The Athletic’s desk covering leadership, personal development and success through the lens of sports.
—Elise Devlin, New York Times, 10 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for success
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R.j. Shook, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025
The Frozen Zoo has notched some reproductive breakthroughs over the years, including in 2023 when researchers were able to successfully freeze sunflower sea star sperm, thaw it and fertilize eggs that resulted in larvae developing with a high rate of success.
—Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 July 2025
In our current complex global economy, success will belong to enterprises built to thrive amid volatility, not those waiting for the turbulence to pass.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 10 July 2025
Editor’s note: This story is a part of Peak, The Athletic’s desk covering leadership, personal development and success through the lens of sports.
—Elise Devlin, New York Times, 10 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for success
Cite this Entry
“Success.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/success. Accessed 15 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
success
noun
suc·cess
sək-ˈses 
1
a
: degree or measure of succeeding
b
: satisfactory completion of something
c
: the gaining of wealth, respect, or fame
2
: a person or thing that succeeds
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