success

American  

[suhk-ses] / səkˈsɛs /

noun

successes plural

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

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• successes
  plural

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

"Success is enjoying myself and sticking to my gameplan that my coach gives me, being disciplined - and that's what I'm trying to do."

From BBC • Jun. 30, 2026

Success or failure on the pitch isn’t likely to bring about meaningful political change.

From Salon • Jun. 15, 2026

Success with these products could yield annual sales above $13 billion for Roche and turn around the fortunes of the biotechs.

From Barron's • Jun. 3, 2026

But Eva Moskowitz, Success Academy’s founder, has the same goals for her students.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 12, 2026

Success came easily to Burnham and Root, but the partners did have their trials.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

Related Words

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