fortune hunter

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See synonyms for fortune hunter on Thesaurus.com

noun

a person who hopes to prosper, especially through marriage to someone of wealth.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Origin of fortune hunter

First recorded in 1680–90

OTHER WORDS FROM fortune hunter

fortune-hunting, adjective, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use fortune hunter in a sentence

Oh, I am not the first fortune hunter who has found a skull or serpent where he had hoped to find gold!
A Fortune Hunter; Or, The Old Stone Corral|John Dunloe Carteret
In that case, sir, you must not be surprised to find yourself regarded by the young lady's father as a fortune hunter.
You Never Can Tell|George Bernard Shaw
She was poor; she had nothing then to tempt a fortune hunter, and thank Heaven I can say I was never that.
The Imaginary Marriage|Henry St. John Cooper
He set Forbes down as a fortune-hunter willing to marry a much older woman of moderate means.
What Will People Say?|Rupert Hughes

It is so easy to love Lucy, for Lucy's sake, that even a fortune-hunter would be in danger of being caught in his own trap.
Afloat And Ashore|James Fenimore Cooper

British Dictionary definitions for fortune hunter

fortune-hunter

noun

a person who seeks to secure a fortune, esp through marriage

Derived forms of fortune-hunter