success

American  

[suhk-ses] / səkˈsɛs /

noun

successes plural

1. the favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors; the accomplishment of one's goals.

2. the attainment of wealth, position, honors, or the like.

   Synonyms:

   triumph, accomplishment, achievement

3. a performance or achievement that is marked by success, as by the attainment of honors.

   The play was an instant success.

4. a person or thing that has had success, as measured by attainment of goals, wealth, etc..

   She was a great success on the talk show.

5. Obsolete. outcome.

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success British  

/ səkˈsɛs /

noun

1. the favourable outcome of something attempted

2. the attainment of wealth, fame, etc

3. an action, performance, etc, that is characterized by success

4. a person or thing that is successful

5. obsolete any outcome

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonsuccess
  noun
• presuccess
  noun
• successlessness
  noun
• semisuccess
  adjective
• successless
  adjective
• successlessly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• successes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of success

First recorded in 1530–40; from Latin successus, equivalent to succēd-, stem of succēdere succeed + -tus suffix of verb action, with -dt- regularly becoming -ss-

Explanation

For some students, success in school means getting As and Bs. For others, it means getting straight As, starring in the school play, and winning the class election. Success means achieving a goal, and everyone's goals are different. We tend to think of success as a triumph or victory, but if you look at its linguistic roots in Latin, success literally just means "result." At some point several centuries ago people probably began using success as shorthand for "good success," and eventually they dropped the good altogether. That would explain why in formal settings you still occasionally hear the phrase "good success," even though we now think of all successes as good.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

success successes

Newcastle needed to see more of an immediate return from a £100m-plus net spend last summer, for example, but defender Malick Thiaw has been the only unquestioned success.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

Robust first-half earnings from Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs last week have triggered earnings and recommendation upgrades from research analysts as they say Wall Street’s success may be shared by rivals in Europe as well.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026

The success was surreal for the band members as they heard the song on the radio, in restaurants and the gym.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

Any investment from Bhatia would be made to further position Liverpool for success, following FSG's move in 2023 to sell a minority stake in the club to global sports investment firm Dynasty.

From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026

That we are one step closer to the mission being a success.

From "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga

These successes for both the men's and women's teams followed lifting numerous titles at youth level over the last decade.

From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026

To truly compete with SpaceX, China will need to refine its technology and ensure that its breakthrough launch is backed up by future successes.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 10, 2026

Pro-democracy rebels embedded with them to secure notable successes, including a landmark 2023 combined offensive that advanced to the brink of Mandalay, Myanmar's second city.

From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026

In a relatively short period of time, his losses have become successes.

From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026

Today, the presence of more than five hundred federally recognized nations is evidence of the successes Native peoples had as they fought to protect their nations, their homelands, and their families.

From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

Related Words

• accomplishment
• achievement
• advance
• benefit
• boom
• fame
• gain
• happiness
• profit
• progress
• prosperity
• realization
• triumph
• victory
• win