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:
Maybe because an analyst at a second-tier firm who boldly goes where no one has gone before could live long and prosper if they even temporarily get it right.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
In Psalm 73, Asaph pleads with God, wondering why good men suffer while the wicked prosper.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
"These new measures will improve access to Chinese markets, closing that trade deficit and expand opportunities for African companies to prosper," he told the BBC.
From BBC ● Apr. 30, 2026
The railroads also tapped into the wealth of retail investors, targeting merchants and farmers along the routes who stood to prosper.
From Barron's ● Apr. 15, 2026
How can we prosper, when we can’t rely on anything continuing as it is?
From "The Subtle Knife" by Philip Pullman
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
In his budget speech, Champagne warned that Canada is facing "a time of profound change" and that "bold and swift action is needed" to ensure the country prospers.
From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2025
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
Now the area prospers largely from the tourist trade.
From Seattle Times ● May 22, 2023
She nodded and said, “I’m old and blind, but I still hear things. A fool never prospers in peace. Do you know what their magic is?”
From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
Unyoked from racial prejudices and prohibitions, Eston’s progeny prospered.
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026
Nor does she mention such New York City clubs as El Morocco or the Stork Club that prospered after drinking once again became legal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
The U.S. has prospered for many reasons: a vast internal market, ample natural resources, a homeland unravaged by war and universal basic education.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 2026
Unsurprisingly, it's not just in Asia that Root has prospered against spin.
From BBC ● Jan. 27, 2026
I married and had children, and with work and God’s will I prospered, so that I am able today to enjoy my children, my grandchildren, my orchards and my gardens in peace and comfort.
From "My Brother Sam is Dead" by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
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
But what really struck me during my conversations with the three new key cabinet ministers is that they all, without prompting, connect their chances of prospering with the fate of our whole political system.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2024
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
Even as they stood there, Ralph suspected him of secretly prospering.
From "Typical American" by Gish Jen
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.
