prosper
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
verb
Usage
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.
Synonym Usage
See succeed.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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prospersimple
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prosperssimple
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have prosperedperfect
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has prosperedperfect
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am prosperingprogressive
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are prosperingprogressive
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is prosperingprogressive
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have been prosperingperfect progressive
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has been prosperingperfect progressive
Past
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prosperedsimple
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had prosperedperfect
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was prosperingprogressive
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were prosperingprogressive
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had been prosperingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of prosper
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English prosperen, Old French prosperer, from Latin prosperāre “to make happy,” derivative of prosperus prosperous
Explanation
As any fan of Star Trek knows, “live long and prosper” is good advice. The verb prosper means to do well, succeed, or thrive. The verb prosper commonly means to generate wealth, as in “she hopes to prosper from her new investments.” But more generally it means “grow stronger” or "flourish" — crops will prosper when they have adequate sun and water, and rescued animals can prosper in a loving home. You can also prosper from good advice or a wise decision: for example, “cheaters never prosper” is one piece of advice that might help you prosper.
Vocabulary lists containing prosper
NAEP Test Words
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The Call of the Wild
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Donald Trump Inauguration Address- January 20, 2017
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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.
See Examples For:
A report commissioned by Stoke-on-Trent City Council said the industry in north Staffordshire could prosper as a "highly dynamic" sector if it got the right support.
From BBC ● May 21, 2026
“Separating into two distinct companies best sets up our brands, shows, businesses, talent, and teams to continue to lead and prosper in the changing media landscape,” Bankoff said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 2026
Officials in Nevada, where casinos prosper, have emerged as some of the most forceful opponents of prediction markets.
From Barron's ● May 14, 2026
No member is above the rules in a gang that lives by the importance of “equality” and “union,” but anyone can prosper as long as they remain loyal, said Manso.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 20, 2026
“Once he got into the university environment, I thought he would prosper, I really did,” his brother Mark says.
From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell
Yet to our mind the remarkable news of this anniversary is that our free republic has stood for a quarter millennium and prospers still.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
Tom Roebuck, another wing who prospers in the air, is only just back from a broken toe.
From BBC ● Feb. 23, 2026
“When Indonesia prospers, the region prosters,” Lee said.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 29, 2024
Western analysts say the counteroffensive, even if it prospers, won’t end the war which started with Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
From Washington Times ● Jul. 4, 2023
"The realm prospers from such events, my lord," Grand Maester Pycelle said.
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
Unyoked from racial prejudices and prohibitions, Eston’s progeny prospered.
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026
Since leaving England he has prospered in franchise cricket, ending Royal Challengers Bengaluru's wait for Indian Premier League success with consecutive titles in 2025 and 2026 and winning The Hundred with Trent Rockets in 2022.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
Under Bedford’s able leadership, England’s cause initially prospered.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 11, 2026
We will never know if the flax fields took off and Shatz’s heirs prospered.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 17, 2025
As it prospered, Mutal attracted considerable attention—which, in the end, may have been the king’s undoing.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
Fundamentally superior stocks are prospering from a stunning earnings environment as well as a booming domestic economy.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
“If we do all that, and everybody’s prospering and they’re all a part of it, and there’s upside for everybody, that’s going to naturally be a bulwark against future conflicts there. Because everybody’s thriving.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 29, 2025
Who knows whether that will shift opinion polls that show other parties prospering at Labour's expense.
From BBC ● May 22, 2025
The intensely alkaline soil of the Carrizo Plain National Monument, a remote grassland east of San Luis Obispo, also deters invasives from prospering, according to Dudney.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 5, 2024
Restricting myself more to particulars, let me say that one sees a prince prospering today and coming to ruin tomorrow without having seen him change his nature or his qualities.
From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli
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.
