bonanza
Americannoun
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a rich mass of ore, as found in mining.
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a source of great and sudden wealth or luck; a spectacular windfall.
The play proved to be a bonanza for its lucky backers.
noun
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a source, usually sudden and unexpected, of luck or wealth
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a mine or vein rich in ore
Etymology
Origin of bonanza
An Americanism first recorded in 1835–45; from Spanish: “calm sea, prosperity, abundance of minerals,” nasalized variant of Medieval Latin bonacia, alteration (with influence from Latin bonus “good,” possibly to avoid confusion with malus “bad”) of Latin malacia “calm sea,” from Greek malakía “softness” ( malak(ós) “soft” + -ia -ia )
Explanation
An unexpected increase in tourism to a small town could be a bonanza for the locals. Bonanza means "a sudden opportunity to make money." Bonanza is a noun that means "a sudden rush of wealth or good fortune," but in a more scientific sense it means "a rich source of a precious metal." So, if you happen to strike gold in your backyard, that would be a bonanza on both fronts. "Boom towns" that sprung up during the California Gold Rush were created by a bonanza. More casually, bonanza can mean something like "a big to-do," or an extravaganza.
Vocabulary lists containing bonanza
The Omnivore's Dilemma
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Butterfly Yellow
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Killers of the Flower Moon
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Some saw a bonanza: “Just think of all that money coming in with those workers buying things locally!!!”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026
Reynoso said the betting "stimulates many senses" for the animals on top of providing entertainment for an audience giddy with excitement ahead of the world's biggest football bonanza.
From Barron's • Jun. 6, 2026
It’s a bonanza of tax efficiency, and maximizing that is one of the few strategies that social-media influencers and financial professionals can agree on.
From MarketWatch • May 21, 2026
It was a starry, starry night at Thursday’s sold-out Hollywood Bowl Netflix is a Joke Presents: Night of Too Many Stars epic comic bonanza fundraiser benefitting autism programs nationwide, including Autism Speaks.
From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2026
Another bonanza was the development of world trade routes, which by Roman times effectively joined the populations of Europe, Asia, and North Africa into one giant breeding ground for microbes.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
