prosper

[pros-per]

verb (used without object)

1. to be successful or fortunate, especially in financial respects; thrive; flourish.

   Antonyms: fail

verb (used with object)

1. Archaic.,  to make successful or fortunate.

prosper

/ ˈprɒspə /

verb

1. (usually intr) to thrive, succeed, etc, or cause to thrive, succeed, etc in a healthy way

Other Word Forms

• unprospered adjective
• unprospering adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of prosper¹

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English prosperen, Old French prosperer, from Latin prosperāre “to make happy,” derivative of prosperus prosperous

Word History and Origins

Origin of prosper¹

C15: from Latin prosperāre to succeed, from prosperus fortunate, from _pro- ¹ + spēs hope

Synonym Study

See succeed.

Example Sentences

She said Sahrawi women "work a lot", especially in traditional crafts, but often lack the "financial backing to prosper".

Read more on Barron's

We will never know if the flax fields took off and Shatz’s heirs prospered.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Brazil is pushing the idea of building a prospering economy by sustainably using natural resources, preserving nature to protect the vitality of the land, and developing valuable products including fuels, pharmaceuticals, and foods.

Read more on BBC

Europe prospered over recent decades in a global trading system that allowed it to import cheap gas from Russia and rare earths from China, powering its industrial base.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Households exposed to assets will continue to prosper as rate cuts bolster equity prices, he wrote.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• bloom 
• blossom 
• catch on 
• do well 
• flourish 
• multiply 
• thrive 

When To Use

What does prosper mean?

Prosper means to be successful or fortunate, especially in a financial or material way.Prosper often implies success in terms of wealth, health, and happiness. But it can also be used broadly, much like the words succeed, thrive, and flourish.You can say that someone is prospering in the present, but the word is perhaps most commonly used in the context of what will happen in the future.Prosper is associated with its use in the phrase “live long and prosper,” the catchphrase of the character Spock in the Star Trek series of TV shows and movies.Someone who prospers can be described as prosperous. The noun prosperity refers to a state of success.Example: If we can continue to maintain this level of quality, our company will continue to prosper.