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
Its success inspired a wave of canal building in other states, although the economic benefit of these other canals is dubious in retrospect.
—JSTOR Daily, 26 Oct. 2025
Harrison's success follows a string of pro-athletes hailing from Middletown, like NBA Hall of Famer Jerry Lucas, legendary NFL wide receiver Cris Carter and World Series champion Kyle Schwarber.
—Victoria Moorwood, Cincinnati Enquirer, 26 Oct. 2025
The dividends, naturally, ebb and flow alongside the success of the company.
—Maggie Menderski, Louisville Courier Journal, 26 Oct. 2025
Heather Demers tried the popular good luck McDonald’s French fries hack—which is meant to improve IVF success rates, though with no scientific backing—and was stunned when over 300 family members, friends and even strangers joined in to show their support.
—Maria Morava, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for success
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JSTOR Daily, 26 Oct. 2025
Harrison's success follows a string of pro-athletes hailing from Middletown, like NBA Hall of Famer Jerry Lucas, legendary NFL wide receiver Cris Carter and World Series champion Kyle Schwarber.
—Victoria Moorwood, Cincinnati Enquirer, 26 Oct. 2025
The dividends, naturally, ebb and flow alongside the success of the company.
—Maggie Menderski, Louisville Courier Journal, 26 Oct. 2025
Heather Demers tried the popular good luck McDonald’s French fries hack—which is meant to improve IVF success rates, though with no scientific backing—and was stunned when over 300 family members, friends and even strangers joined in to show their support.
—Maria Morava, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Oct. 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 7 Nov. 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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