Synonyms

fortune hunter

American

noun

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

fortune-hunter British

noun

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

"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 Word Forms

fortune-hunting adjective

Etymology

Origin of fortune hunter

First recorded in 1680–90

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.

Parties of adventurers, fortune hunters and magic-makers begin to form in order to make the trek into the heart of the dungeon.

From Salon

A modern-day historian described the hunting run in another more relatable way: White fortune hunters and settlers took his people’s grocery stores.

From Salon

Red Hook promises an even deeper and darker dungeon — 500 feet under! — as well as new enemies and a new gang of desperate fortune hunters willing to risk their sanity.

From Seattle Times

She called the matter a “horrific and vulgar fraud” perpetrated by a fortune hunter.

From Washington Post

On his tail are fortune hunters with rifles.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023