success

American  

[suhk-ses] / səkˈsɛs /

noun

1. the favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors; the accomplishment of one's goals.

2. the attainment of wealth, position, honors, or the like.

   Synonyms:

   triumph, accomplishment, achievement

3. a performance or achievement that is marked by success, as by the attainment of honors.

   The play was an instant success.

4. a person or thing that has had success, as measured by attainment of goals, wealth, etc..

   She was a great success on the talk show.

5. Obsolete. outcome.

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success British  

/ səkˈsɛs /

noun

1. the favourable outcome of something attempted

2. the attainment of wealth, fame, etc

3. an action, performance, etc, that is characterized by success

4. a person or thing that is successful

5. obsolete any outcome

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Other Word Forms

• nonsuccess noun
• presuccess noun
• semisuccess adjective
• successless adjective
• successlessly adverb
• successlessness noun

Etymology

Origin of success

First recorded in 1530–40; from Latin successus, equivalent to succēd-, stem of succēdere succeed + -tus suffix of verb action, with -dt- regularly becoming -ss-

Explanation

For some students, success in school means getting As and Bs. For others, it means getting straight As, starring in the school play, and winning the class election. Success means achieving a goal, and everyone's goals are different. We tend to think of success as a triumph or victory, but if you look at its linguistic roots in Latin, success literally just means "result." At some point several centuries ago people probably began using success as shorthand for "good success," and eventually they dropped the good altogether. That would explain why in formal settings you still occasionally hear the phrase "good success," even though we now think of all successes as good.

Example Sentences

Although unconventional, snow farming was a resounding success for both resorts.

From Slate • Apr. 11, 2026

City did have a better success rate and Arsenal a worse one in the summer months of 2020 during the Covid pandemic, but those were only a handful of games.

From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026

And what does success in these negotiations look like - a fully-formed peace deal, or just productive initial talks that don't scuttle the temporary ceasefire?

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

Coming off the success of his 2022 Netflix debut, “Sweet and Juicy,” Wang, a 23-year comedy veteran, became a marquee name touring theaters across the country.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026

I felt a little drunk with success, so I read the letters from the tax folks.

From "Liar, Liar" by Gary Paulsen

Related Words

• accomplishment
• achievement
• advance
• benefit
• boom
• fame
• gain
• happiness
• profit
• progress
• prosperity
• realization
• triumph
• victory
• win