prospecting
Americannoun
-
the activity of searching for valuable natural resources, as gold or oil.
Foreign energy companies continue to explore for offshore oil, even though international agencies say the prospecting violates international law.
-
the activity of searching for something, especially prospective or likely customers, clients, etc..
Calling expired listings, knocking on doors to introduce yourself, and placing cold calls from lists of names all come under the umbrella of prospecting.
adjective
-
of or relating to the activity of searching for valuable natural resources.
The mine has two shafts 600 feet apart: a prospecting shaft over 150 feet deep, and a double compartment shaft over which hoisting machinery is to be placed.
Following a stint as a prospecting geologist in northern Ontario, he enrolled in a PhD program in the UK.
-
of or relating to the activity of searching for something, especially prospective or likely customers, clients, etc..
The number of days between initial contact and a deal’s closing date is used to calculate the average number of days in the prospecting cycle.
Etymology
Origin of prospecting
First recorded in 1845–50; prospect ( def. ) + -ing 1 ( def. ) for the noun senses; prospect ( def. ) + -ing 2 ( def. ) for the adjective senses
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.
Though “mine” implies tunnels, the prospecting at La Ciénega took place over a vast area — about 14,000 acres — largely near the surface.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 6, 2025
The rise in clicks on his posts -- and the related increase in commissions he makes on sales of products he uses in his prospecting -- has generated a new income source for James.
From Barron's • Nov. 2, 2025
In Sacramento, Cody Blanchard, 35, had been gold-hunting for several years in Northern California before starting his own business selling equipment and offering prospecting tours last year.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 13, 2025
That money's up to over $100 million today, but the point is that with all of the negotiations, all that prospecting, the guy that was bussing the table had the most money in the room.
From Salon • May 18, 2024
Tex John Smith was presumed to be prospecting for gold somewhere in Alaska—though lawmen, despite great effort, had been unable to locate him.
From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote
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.
