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.
By covering more ground in less time, they could improve both resource prospecting and the search for signs of past life.
From Science Daily • Apr. 8, 2026
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 a more modern twist, there’s also social-media gold: the biggest YouTube accounts devoted to prospecting boast more than half a million followers.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 13, 2025
Fergusson has been prospecting as a hobby for about a decade, and finally bought his own claim after searching around for five years.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 4, 2024
He comes at last to a settlement, or perhaps is found by other prospecting men.
From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck
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.
