fortune

[ fawr-chuhn ]

/ ˈfɔr tʃən /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: fortune / fortuned / fortuning / fortuneless on Thesaurus.com

noun

position in life as determined by wealth: to make one's fortune.

wealth or riches: to lose a small fortune in bad investments.

great wealth; ample stock of money, property, and the like: to be worth a fortune.

chance; luck: They each had the bad fortune to marry the wrong person.

fortunes. things that happen or are to happen to a person in his or her life.

fate; lot; destiny: whatever my fortune may be.

(initial capital letter) chance personified, commonly regarded as a mythical being distributing arbitrarily or capriciously the lots of life: Perhaps Fortune will smile on our venture.

good luck; success; prosperity: a family blessed by fortune.

Archaic. a wealthy woman; an heiress.

verb (used with object), for·tuned, for·tun·ing.

Archaic. to endow (someone or something) with a fortune.

verb (used without object), for·tuned, for·tun·ing.

Archaic. to chance or happen; come by chance.

OTHER WORDS FOR fortune

4 fate, destiny, providence; kismet, karma.

7 Moira; Lady Luck.

See synonyms for fortune on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

SHALL WE PLAY A "SHALL" VS. "SHOULD" CHALLENGE?

Should you take this quiz on “shall” versus “should”? It should prove to be a quick challenge!

Question 1 of 6

Which form is used to state an obligation or duty someone has?

shall

should

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about fortune

tell someone's fortune, to profess to inform someone of future events in his or her own life; foretell.

Origin of fortune

1250–1300; Middle English <Old French <Latin fortūna chance, luck, fortune, derivative of fort- (stem of fors) chance

OTHER WORDS FROM fortune

for·tune·less, adjective

Words nearby fortune

fortuitous, fortuity, Fortuna, fortunate, fortunately, fortune, fortune cookie, Fortune Five Hundred, fortune hunter, fortune-teller, fortunetelling

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use fortune in a sentence

They are speeding up trading on financial markets, making and losing fortunes in micro-seconds.
Algorithms Workers Can’t See Are Increasingly Pulling the Management Strings|Tom Barratt|August 28, 2020|Singularity Hub
Patrick Howell O’Neill profiles Israeli spyware company NSO, which has quietly built up its fortune by helping governments around the world snoop on people.
A world divided into “cans” and “cannots”|Katie McLean|August 19, 2020|MIT Technology Review
Today’s cannabis industry is a constantly shifting landscape of legal developments, policy changes, company fortunes, and product innovations.
The best cannabis industry newsletters, sites, and podcasts|Jenni Avins|August 13, 2020|Quartz
Unlike other rich women of her time, Scripps worked for her fortune instead of marrying or inheriting it, McClain said.
Suffragette City: San Diego’s Crucial Role in Getting Women the Vote|Randy Dotinga|August 6, 2020|Voice of San Diego

Backlinks are one way to get this boost without spending a fortune.
Nine mistakes to avoid when contacting websites for backlinks|Raj Dosanjh|July 29, 2020|Search Engine Watch
The building used to be an all-girls school, and when it was initially purchased by Fortune it was dilapidated.
His First Day Out Of Jail After 40 Years: Adjusting To Life Outside|Justin Rohrlich|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Stanley Richards, Senior Vice President of the Fortune Society, gave a tour along with a few residents.
His First Day Out Of Jail After 40 Years: Adjusting To Life Outside|Justin Rohrlich|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
That good fortune meant CNN had the only TV correspondent on the scene.
CNN's Overnight Sydney Star|Lloyd Grove|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Hitchcock had the historical good fortune to have worked from silent films through television.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“I suppose she'll want a fortune as well,” he says, looking at me as if I were Liv Ullmann's agent.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Sleek finds it far harder work than fortune-making; but he pursues his Will-o'-the-Wisp with untiring energy.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
The fortune was proving quite as large as he had expected, and not even an inquest had been held upon the dead man.
Uncanny Tales|Various
But "the cards never forgive," and as a rule Dame Fortune is relentless to the reckless player.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
Aristide always regarded the fortune of the moment as if it would last forever.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
The fact that her fortune was vaguely threatened did not cause her anxiety: she scarcely realized it.
Hilda Lessways|Arnold Bennett

British Dictionary definitions for fortune

fortune

/ (ˈfɔːtʃən) /

noun

an amount of wealth or material prosperity, esp, when unqualified, a great amount

small fortune a large sum of money

a power or force, often personalized, regarded as being responsible for human affairs; chance

luck, esp when favourable

(often plural) a person's lot or destiny

verb

archaic

(tr) to endow with great wealth
(intr) to happen by chance

Derived forms of fortune

fortuneless, adjective

Word Origin for fortune

C13: from Old French, from Latin fortūna, from fors chance

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with fortune

fortune

see make a fortune.

fortune

OTHER WORDS FOR fortune

Idioms about fortune

Origin of fortune

OTHER WORDS FROM fortune

Words nearby fortune

Words related to fortune

How to use fortune in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for fortune

Derived forms of fortune

Word Origin for fortune

Other Idioms and Phrases with fortune