as in potential
likely to be or become something at a later time
The school had a luncheon for prospective students.
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Recent Examples of prospective
Targeted for the latter half of 2027, this mission will see an Orion spacecraft dock with two prospective lunar landers in Earth orbit—one the Blue Moon lander from Jeff Bezos’s company Blue Origin and the other Starship.
—
Jonathan O'Callaghan, Scientific American, 12 June 2026
High test scores can also put a prospective student from a low-income family on a college admissions office’s radar who may have otherwise been overlooked on account of their high school.
—Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 12 June 2026
The prospective merger has also drawn intense pushback from hundreds of Hollywood actors, directors, producers and writers.
—Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 11 June 2026
During a get-to-know-you meeting held at SoFi Stadium near Los Angeles, a senior FIFA executive set out the core principles of the hosting agreements between soccer’s global governing body and the prospective host cities.
—Adam Crafton, New York Times, 11 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for prospective
Jonathan O'Callaghan, Scientific American, 12 June 2026
High test scores can also put a prospective student from a low-income family on a college admissions office’s radar who may have otherwise been overlooked on account of their high school.
—Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 12 June 2026
The prospective merger has also drawn intense pushback from hundreds of Hollywood actors, directors, producers and writers.
—Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 11 June 2026
During a get-to-know-you meeting held at SoFi Stadium near Los Angeles, a senior FIFA executive set out the core principles of the hosting agreements between soccer’s global governing body and the prospective host cities.
—Adam Crafton, New York Times, 11 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for prospective
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prospective
Adjective
-
Hughton says conversations with potential new players from the diaspora tended not to involve persuasion.—
Simon Hughes,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
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Burnham has circled a potential seat near Manchester for months.—
Issy Ronald,
CNN Money,
17 June 2026
Adjective
-
Even without Orbán in power, Europe’s far right pushes through tougher migration measures and wins elections, while new divisions surface over war, Russia and the movement’s future clout.—
Justin Spike,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2026
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Past performance is not indicative of future results.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
18 June 2026
Adjective
-
Be sure to cover your head and neck with your arms, and crawl under a sturdy table if possible.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
17 June 2026
-
Tropical storm conditions are possible within the watch area beginning early Wednesday, and are expected within the warning area beginning later on Wednesday.—
MIAMI HERALD HURRICANE BOT,
Miami Herald,
17 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Prospective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prospective. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
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