success
Americannoun
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the favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors; the accomplishment of one's goals.
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the attainment of wealth, position, honors, or the like.
- Synonyms:
- triumph, accomplishment, achievement
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a performance or achievement that is marked by success, as by the attainment of honors.
The play was an instant success.
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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.
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Obsolete. outcome.
noun
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the favourable outcome of something attempted
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the attainment of wealth, fame, etc
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an action, performance, etc, that is characterized by success
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a person or thing that is successful
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obsolete any outcome
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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nonsuccessnoun
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presuccessnoun
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successlessnessnoun
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semisuccessadjective
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successlessadjective
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successlesslyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
Vocabulary lists containing success
"Macbeth" Vocabulary from Act I
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Commonly Misspelled Words, List 5
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"Kids Are Inventors, Too"
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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:
Another soldier in Izium, nicknamed "Ananas", also told AFP he was pleased to see the back of Syrsky, who was known for military success but also developed a reputation for not caring about losses.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
The American ownership group has overseen sustained success on and off the pitch, with Liverpool winning two Premier League titles, the Champions League, FA Cup, League Cup, Super Cup and Club World Cup since 2019.
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
Fervently hoping for success, he released his hold.
From "Abel's Island" by William Steig
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
But under Southgate, England took their penalty preparations to a new level which resulted in three out of four successes between 2018 and 2024.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
My intense devotion to the cause of justice has led to this lengthy diatribe, and 1 feel that my Levy circle-within-a- circle is zooming upward to new successes and heights.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
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.
