You can refer to a large sum of money as afortune or a small fortune to emphasize how large it is.
[emphasis]
We had to eat out all the time. It ended up costing a fortune.
He made a small fortune in the London property boom.
Synonyms: large sum of money, bomb [British, slang], packet [slang], bundle [slang] More Synonyms of fortune
2. countable noun [oft poss NOUN]
Someone who has a fortune has a very large amount of money.
He made his fortune in car sales.
He inherited a multi-million-dollar fortune from his inventor mother.
Synonyms: wealth, means, property, riches More Synonyms of fortune
3. uncountable noun
Fortune or good fortune is good luck. Ill fortune is bad luck.
Government ministers are starting to wonder how long their good fortune can last.
4. plural noun [with poss]
If you talk about someone's fortunes or the fortunes of something, you are talking about the extent to which they are doing well or being successful.
The electoral fortunes of the party may decline. [+ of]
She kept up with the fortunes of the Reeves family.
The company had to do something to reverse its sliding fortunes.
Synonyms: destiny, life, lot, experiences More Synonyms of fortune
5. uncountable noun
If you talk about the way someone or something is treated by fortune, you are referring to the good or bad luck that they have.
He is certainly being smiled on by fortune.
Synonyms: chance, fate, destiny, providence More Synonyms of fortune
6.
See tell your fortune
More Synonyms of fortune
fortune in British English
(ˈfɔːtʃən)
noun
1.
an amount of wealth or material prosperity, esp, when unqualified; a great amount
2. small fortune
3.
a power or force, often personalized, regarded as being responsible for human affairs; chance
4.
luck, esp when favourable
5. (often plural)
a person's lot or destiny
verb
6. archaic
a. (transitive)
to endow with great wealth
b. (intransitive)
to happen by chance
Derived forms
fortuneless (ˈfortuneless)
adjective
Word origin
C13: from Old French, from Latin fortūna, from fors chance
fortune in American English
(ˈfɔrtʃən)
noun
1.
the entity or power believed by some to bring good or bad luck to people; luck; chance; fate
often personified
2. [also pl.]
what happens or is going to happen to one; one's lot, good or bad, esp. one's future lot
3.
good luck; success; prosperity
4.
a large quantity of money or possessions; wealth; riches
verb transitiveWord forms: ˈfortuned or ˈfortuning
5. Archaic
to provide with wealth
verb intransitive
6. Archaic
to happen; chance
Idioms:
a small fortune
tell someone's fortune
Derived forms
fortuneless (ˈfortuneless)
adjective
Word origin
ME < OFr < L fortuna, chance, fate, fortune < fors, chance: see fortuitous
More idioms containing
fortune
a small fortune
a hostage to fortune
COBUILD Collocations
fortune
absolute fortune
good fortune
ill fortune
mixed fortunes
Examples of 'fortune' in a sentence
fortune
The first is that flashy cars cost a fortune to run.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
There were mixed fortunes for a pair of debutants.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
Agents surround promising youngsters and talk incessantly about fame and fortune.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The luckiest full moon of your year adds good fortune to a contest you have often entered before.
The Sun (2017)
Perhaps the only certainty is that the lawyers representing each side will make a fortune sorting out the inevitable dispute.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
People spend a fortune on that.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
He added:'The club spent a fortune last summer and the one before.
The Sun (2016)
That means it is a smart time to work at improving your driving - to make the roads safer and to save yourself a small fortune.
The Sun (2017)
But in recent years its fortunes have declined.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Yet such strokes of good fortune are not always the bonanza they might seem.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Such relative good fortune could not last.
Patrick Bishop FIGHTER BOYS: Saving Britain 1940 (2003)
That is not to say the financial crisis has left the family fortune or reputation completely unscathed.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
The actual size of their fortunes may be much larger than our figures.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
You could make a fortune of money.
Aldiss, Brian Somewhere East of Life (1994)
There were mixed fortunes to be found in the sin stocks.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
You end up blowing a fortune on something.
The Sun (2015)
They spent a fortune building a new one and a smaller fortune hiring a new head teacher.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Since then their fortunes have followed differing paths.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
He has made his fortunes from property interests and currency trading.
The Sun (2006)
Surely only bad luck and bad fortune can stop them again.
The Sun (2010)
But that depends on how you define good fortune.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
How long can their good fortune last?
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Follow her tips to save a fortune for your family.
The Sun (2015)
And they are all charmingly conscious of the dangers of letting their fame and fortune go to their heads.
The Sun (2008)
Rarely have a company 's fortunes been transformed so rapidly for the worse.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
For all that, it is also a test of party fortunes.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
He had made his fortune from car auctions, security and office cleaning.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
His fortunes declined with the dawn of rock'n'roll.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Sporting chance of a fortune?
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
We didn't make a fortune, but we earned a few bob.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Quotations
Fortune, that favours foolsBen JonsonThe Alchemist
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortuneWilliam ShakespeareHamlet
Base Fortune, now I see, that in thy wheel There is a point, to which when men aspire, They tumble headlong downChristopher MarloweEdward II
In other languages
fortune
British English: fortune /ˈfɔːtʃən/ NOUN
You can refer to a large sum of money as a fortune or a smallfortune to emphasize how large it is.
He made a small fortune in the property boom.
American English: fortune
Arabic: ثَرْوَة
Brazilian Portuguese: fortuna
Chinese: 财富
Croatian: bogatstvo
Czech: majlant spousta peněz
Danish: formue
Dutch: fortuin
European Spanish: fortuna
Finnish: omaisuus
French: chance
German: Vermögen
Greek: τύχη
Italian: fortuna
Japanese: 大金
Korean: 재산
Norwegian: formue
Polish: fortuna
European Portuguese: fortuna
Romanian: avere
Russian: состояние
Latin American Spanish: fortuna
Swedish: förmögenhet
Thai: ทรัพย์สมบัติมากมาย
Turkish: servet
Ukrainian: статок
Vietnamese: tài sản to lớn
All related terms of 'fortune'
ill fortune
Fortune or good fortune is good luck . Ill fortune is bad luck.
Dame Fortune
the personification of fortune as a woman
good fortune
Fortune or good fortune is good luck . Ill fortune is bad luck.
small fortune
a large sum of money
fortune cookie
A fortune cookie is a sweet , crisp cake which contains a piece of paper which is supposed to say what will happen to you in the future . Fortune cookies are often served in Chinese restaurants .
fortune hunter
a person who seeks to secure a fortune , esp through marriage
fortune-teller
A fortune-teller is a person who tells you what they think will happen to you in the future, after looking at something such as the lines on your hand .
absolute fortune
You can refer to a large sum of money as a fortune or a small fortune to emphasize how large it is.
a small fortune
a very large amount of money
soldier of fortune
a person who seeks money or adventure as a soldier ; mercenary
tell your fortune
When someone tells your fortune , they tell you what they think will happen to you in the future , which they say is shown , for example , by the lines on your hand .
wheel of fortune
(in mythology and literature ) a revolving device spun by a deity of fate selecting random changes in human affairs
gentleman of fortune
→ adventurer
a hostage to fortune
someone who cannot control how a situation develops, and so has to accept any bad things that happen
tell someone's fortune
to profess to tell what is going to happen in someone's life, as by palmistry , cards, etc.
give hostages to fortune
to place oneself in a position in which misfortune may strike through the loss of what one values most
fortuneteller
a person who professes to foretell events , esp. events in other people's lives
Fortune 500 (or 1000 or 100, etc.)
the 500 (or 1000, 100, etc.) largest U.S. industrial corporations as ranked according to sales volume
Chinese translation of 'fortune'
fortune
(ˈfɔːtʃən)
n
(u) (= luck) (also good fortune)
好运(運) (hǎoyùn)
(c) (= wealth) 大笔(筆)钱(錢) (dà bǐ qián)
to make a fortune发(發)大财(財) (fā dà cái)
to tell sb's fortune给(給)某人算命 (gěi mǒurén suànmìng)
Derived Forms
fortunesn pl时(時)运(運) (shíyùn)
1 (noun)
Definition
a very large sum of money
Eating out all the time costs a fortune.
Synonyms
large sum of money
bomb (British, slang)
packet (slang)
You could save yourself a packet.
bundle (slang)
big money
big bucks (informal, mainly US)
top dollar (informal)
megabucks (US, Canadian, slang)
an arm and a leg (informal)
A week at a health farm can cost an arm and a leg.
king's ransom
pretty penny (informal)
top whack (informal)
2 (noun)
Definition
wealth or material prosperity
He made his fortune in car sales.
Synonyms
wealth
The discovery of oil brought untold wealth to the island.
means
property
Security forces confiscated weapons and stolen property.
riches
resources
assets
pile (informal)
He made a pile in various business ventures.
possessions
treasure
It was here, the buried treasure, she knew it was.
prosperity
a life of peace and prosperity
mint
They were worth a mint.
gold mine
wad (US, Canadian, slang)
affluence
The postwar era was one of new affluence for the working class.
opulence
He is surrounded by possessions which testify to his opulence.
tidy sum (informal)
Opposites
poverty
,
hardship
,
privation
,
penury
,
destitution
,
indigence
3 (noun)
Definition
luck, esp. when favourable
Such good fortune must be shared with my friends.
Synonyms
luck
The goal owed more to luck than good planning.
accident
She discovered the problem by accident.
fluke (informal)
The discovery was something of a fluke.
stroke of luck
serendipity
hap (archaic)
twist of fate
run of luck
4 (noun)
Definition
a power regarded as being responsible for human affairs
He is certainly being smiled on by fortune.
Synonyms
chance
I met him quite by chance.
fate
I see no use quarrelling with fate.
destiny
Is it Destiny or accident that brings people together?
providence
I regard his death as an act of providence.
the stars
Lady Luck
kismet
fortuity
5 (noun)
Definition
a person's destiny
She kept up with the fortunes of the family.
Synonyms
destiny
life
lot
He's always accepted his lot in life.
experiences
history
condition
success
Nearly all of them believed work was the key to success.
means
circumstances
expectation
adventures
Quotations
Fortune, that favours fools [Ben Jonson – The Alchemist]The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune [William Shakespeare – Hamlet]Base Fortune, now I see, that in thy wheel There is a point, to which when men aspire, They tumble headlong down [Christopher Marlowe – Edward II]
Additional synonyms
in the sense of accident
Definition
an unforeseen event or one without apparent cause
She discovered the problem by accident.
Synonyms
chance,
fortune,
luck,
fate,
hazard,
coincidence,
fluke,
fortuity
in the sense of affluence
The postwar era was one of new affluence for the working class.
Synonyms
wealth,
riches,
plenty,
fortune,
prosperity,
abundance,
big money,
exuberance,
profusion,
big bucks (informal, US),
opulence,
top dollar (informal),
megabucks (US, Canadian, slang),
pretty penny (informal),
wad (US, Canadian, slang),
tidy sum (informal)
in the sense of an arm and a leg
A week at a health farm can cost an arm and a leg.
Synonyms
a lot of money,
a bomb (British, slang),
a fortune,
a pile (informal),
big money,
a packet (slang),
a bundle (slang),
big bucks (informal, US),
a tidy sum (informal),
a king's ransom,
a pretty penny (informal)
Synonyms of 'fortune'
fortune
Explore 'fortune' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of providence
Definition
God or nature seen as a protective force that oversees people's lives
I regard his death as an act of providence.
Synonyms
fate,
fortune,
destiny,
God's will,
divine intervention,
predestination
in the sense of success
Definition
the attainment of wealth, fame, or position
Nearly all of them believed work was the key to success.
Synonyms
prosperity,
riches,
fortune,
luck,
wealth,
fame,
eminence,
ascendancy,
affluence,
opulence
in the sense of treasure
Definition
a collection of wealth, esp. in the form of money, precious metals, or gems
It was here, the buried treasure, she knew it was.