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.

---

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

---

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

Porto’s also has found success outside its brick-and-mortar stores by shipping a selection of its unbaked pastries nationwide.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026

The success of Muse won’t be immediately apparent in this quarter’s results, according to analysts.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 20, 2026

While the primary reason for their success is the lack of grey squirrels, Powell said they also thrived "because people look out for them".

From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026

My mom is delighted with my success, but her attitude toward me hasn’t changed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026

The operation had been a success, and Daisy was learning to walk.

From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls

Like in Syria, Turkey was also closely watching Iraq's own efforts "to disarm militia groups and bring them under state control", he said, hailing recent successes in the Sinjar region.

From Barron's ● Oct. 20, 2026

Recruiting the talented Nghiem was one of the championship team’s greatest successes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 18, 2026

Pepsi, which had ties to prior Yum Brands directors and executives, now is trying to win new restaurant customers, building on successes landing Subway and Dunkin’ in recent years.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026

Existing therapies based on engineered T cells have achieved their greatest successes against certain blood cancers, but treating solid tumors has proven more difficult.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026

Problem Solve as to how to obtain food after the railroad lines were cut off, strategize as to earlier successes during the war.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

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

---