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
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
Other buyers would say, however, that such issues long predate the current soccer bonanza.
From Slate • Jun. 24, 2026
For pubs the World Cup offers a potential bonanza, after late licencing hours were allowed by nearly all local authorities.
From BBC • Jun. 12, 2026
And this TV season has been an apparent bonanza for the book adaptation business.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 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
Leaders of Lawrences Berkeley and Livermore empire during the postwar bonanza, which enriched the university and secured the Rad Lab’s position as the preeminent center of high-energy physics in the nation, perhaps the world.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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.
