1
a
: degree or measure of succeeding
promoted the new book with limited success
The success of wildlife sanctuaries depends on how people feel about them.—
Kathryn R. Satterfield
Kathryn R. Satterfield
b
: favorable or desired outcome
At Cedar Creek, the men who raise endangered frogs have a success rate much higher than … counterparts in zoos …—Beth Schwartzapfel
Beth Schwartzapfel
c
: the attainment of wealth, favor, or eminence
Their success on the Olympic stage is a point of pride.—Will Graves
Will Graves2
: someone or something that succeeds
one of her many successes [=one of many things she has done successfully]
The play was an immediate success.
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
But, if the goal was to draw attention, the Weather Underground’s bombing campaign was a huge success.
—Zayd Ayers Dohrn, New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2026
But just kind of seeing the success that the conference has had in the tournament is really good.
—ABC News, 28 Mar. 2026
Both players have credited their parents’ stress-free approach to tennis for their success.
—Miami Herald, 28 Mar. 2026
Your questions and comments, as well as gardening conundrums and successes, are always welcome.
—Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 28 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for success
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Zayd Ayers Dohrn, New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2026
But just kind of seeing the success that the conference has had in the tournament is really good.
—ABC News, 28 Mar. 2026
Both players have credited their parents’ stress-free approach to tennis for their success.
—Miami Herald, 28 Mar. 2026
Your questions and comments, as well as gardening conundrums and successes, are always welcome.
—Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 28 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for success
Cite this Entry
“Success.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/success. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
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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