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

For Walter, 66, who grew up playing youth baseball about 50 miles from the Iowa cornfield that became Kevin Costner’s “Field of Dreams,” that financial success was all well and good.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026

So if Moscow did send professionals for the Leipzig drone launch, it suggests it wanted precision - and success.

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026

The 50th anniversary of the American Revolution was the first of the great milestones to mark the success of this nation’s democratic experiment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

Following the runaway success of “Reacher” with this spinoff centering that hero’s sister-in-arms Frances Neagley is killer timing.

From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2026

I tried to keep up a positive façade for Ma, but I was worried about how I was going to make a success of the store before Ba got home.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

This fall’s Southern California theater offerings include New York successes such as “The Outsiders,” “Oh, Mary!” and “Purpose,” and the long-awaited L.A. area premiere of “Passing Strange.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026

Arsenal's close season was one characterised by some unquestionable successes, but also riddled by difficulties and frustration.

From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026

Building on earlier successes with the biomaterial, the researchers wanted to determine whether they could also use the body's immune system to guide and strengthen the repair process.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 4, 2026

He has even chalked up some successes, including a reform of France’s byzantine labor laws.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026

The next month, because of those Boston and Philadelphia successes, Mr. Muhammad appointed me to be the minister of Temple Seven—in vital New York City.

From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey

Related Words

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