fortune
1 of 2noun
for·tune ˈfȯr-chən 
1
a
: a very large sum of money
spent a fortune redecorating
b
: riches, wealth
a man of fortune
c
: a store of material possessions
the family fortune
2
a
: prosperity attained partly through luck : success
fortune attended the general's campaign
b
: luck sense 1
c
fortunes plural : the turns and courses of luck accompanying one's progress (as through life)
her fortunes varied but she never gave up
3
: destiny, fate
can tell your fortune
also : a prediction of fortune
4
often capitalized : a hypothetical force or personified power that unpredictably determines events and issues favorably or unfavorably
a country favored by fortune
5
obsolete : accident, incident
fortune
2 of 2verb
fortuned; fortuning
transitive verb
1
obsolete : to give good or bad fortune to
2
archaic : to endow with a fortune
intransitive verb
archaic : happen, chance
Synonyms
Noun
- future
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Noun He hoped to achieve fame and fortune. They had the good fortune to escape injury when their car crashed. The book follows the fortunes of two families through the years.
Recent Examples on the Web
Alicia Mundy, Washington Post, 7 Sep. 2022 Bethenny Frankel, the former Real Housewives of New York City star who made a fortune off of her Skinnygirl cocktail brand, just took a stance against excessive editing of social media photos for promoting unrealistic body images. Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 1 Sep. 2022 There’s also the individual — a man who made a fortune from his frenzied toe-tapping and whose feet were famously once insured for $57.6 million — at the helm. Alex Ritman, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Aug. 2022 Uruguayan fashion mogul Enrique Manhard, who made a fortune with a chain of clothing stores, and his partners have bought 27 lots in Miami since 2017, property records show. Konrad Putzier, WSJ, 9 Aug. 2022 There’s no question that Trump has made a fortune on the place. Dan Alexander, Forbes, 9 Aug. 2022 It was built in 1998 for Steven Udvar-Hazy, a Hungarian billionaire who made a fortune in the airplane leasing industry. Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 4 Aug. 2022 Rinke, whose family made a fortune selling GM and Toyota cars, was expected to outspend the other four Republican candidates after pouring about $10 million of his own money into the campaign. Paul Egan, Detroit Free Press, 3 Aug. 2022 Robson, whose husband made a fortune in developing retirement resort communities, has lent her campaign $13 million. Musadiq Bidar, CBS News, 22 July 2022 See More
Noun
Sullivan and her husband, a lawyer turned businessman who’d made a fortune in the telecom merger rush of the late 1990s, set out to find a good oncologist fast. Alicia Mundy, Washington Post, 7 Sep. 2022 Bethenny Frankel, the former Real Housewives of New York City star who made a fortune off of her Skinnygirl cocktail brand, just took a stance against excessive editing of social media photos for promoting unrealistic body images. Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 1 Sep. 2022 There’s also the individual — a man who made a fortune from his frenzied toe-tapping and whose feet were famously once insured for $57.6 million — at the helm. Alex Ritman, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Aug. 2022 Uruguayan fashion mogul Enrique Manhard, who made a fortune with a chain of clothing stores, and his partners have bought 27 lots in Miami since 2017, property records show. Konrad Putzier, WSJ, 9 Aug. 2022 There’s no question that Trump has made a fortune on the place. Dan Alexander, Forbes, 9 Aug. 2022 It was built in 1998 for Steven Udvar-Hazy, a Hungarian billionaire who made a fortune in the airplane leasing industry. Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 4 Aug. 2022 Rinke, whose family made a fortune selling GM and Toyota cars, was expected to outspend the other four Republican candidates after pouring about $10 million of his own money into the campaign. Paul Egan, Detroit Free Press, 3 Aug. 2022 Robson, whose husband made a fortune in developing retirement resort communities, has lent her campaign $13 million. Musadiq Bidar, CBS News, 22 July 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Noun and Verb
Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin fortuna; akin to Latin fort-, fors chance, luck, and perhaps to ferre to carry — more at bear
First Known Use
Noun
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4
Verb
14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Phrases Containing fortune
Kids Definition
fortune
noun
for·tune ˈfȯr-chən
1
: a large sum of money
2
: what happens to a person : good or bad luck
3
: what is to happen to someone in the future
I had my fortune told.
4
: wealth sense 1 They are a family of great fortune.
fortune
noun
1
as in future
what is going to happen to someone in the time ahead the telephone psychic proceeded to tell me my fortune—at great length Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- future
- fate
- destiny
- circumstance
- prospect
- doom
- portion
- hap
- outlook
- lot
- kismet
- futurities
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- past
- present
2
as in bundle
a very large amount of money the billionaire's huge mansion must have cost a fortune Synonyms & Similar Words
- bundle
- pile
- bomb
- wealth
- cash
- mint
- megabucks
- riches
- wad
- chips
- earth
- packet
- big bucks
- boodle
- heap
- capital
- assets
- mine
- gold
- pot
- means
- lucre
- dough
- property
- currency
- bonanza
- pelf
- king's ransom
- treasure trove
- wherewithal
- legal tender
- wampum
- tender
- bread
- jack
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- pittance
- peanuts
- mite
- song
- petty cash
- pocket money
- pin money
- spending money
3
as in destiny
a state or end that seemingly has been decided beforehand it was his fortune that he should wander in the wilderness before becoming king Synonyms & Similar Words
- destiny
- fate
- chance
- luck
- circumstance
- doom
- portion
- kismet
- lot
- accident
- happenstance
- hap
- hazard
- outcome
- happenchance
- result
- development
- effect
- predestination
- casualty
- fruit
- consequence
- resultant
- issue
- sequence
- sequel
- upshot
- aftermath
- outgrowth
- conclusion
- aftereffect
4
as in luck
success that is partly the result of chance in a streak of good fortune, she won the lottery twice that year Synonyms & Similar Words
- luck
- luckiness
- windfall
- fortunateness
- opportunity
- serendipity
- chance
- blessing
- boon
- hit
- godsend
- fluke
- stroke
- coup
- strike
- break
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- misfortune
- trouble
- mischance
- sorrow
- tragedy
- mishap
- curse
- disaster
- misadventure
- calamity
- knock
- adversity
- catastrophe
- failure
- accident
- debacle
- unluckiness
- defeat
- fate
- reversal
- destiny
- lot
- portion
- cataclysm
- reverse
- disappointment
- circumstance
- casualty
- lapse
- setback
- doom
- débâcle
- letdown
- nonachievement
- fizzle
- nonsuccess
- hex
- slipup
- jinx
5
as in wealth
the total of one's money and property the family fortune is mostly in rare paintings and real estate Synonyms & Similar Words
- wealth
- assets
- money
- riches
- worth
- capital
- funds
- things
- prosperity
- possessions
- opulence
- savings
- success
- holdings
- means
- resources
- finances
- effects
- wherewithal
- wallet
- affluence
- substance
- belongings
- bankroll
- property
- abundance
- treasure
- acquisition
- chattels
- treasury
- personal property
- valuables
- paraphernalia
- accession
- deep pockets
- personalty
- nest egg
- reserve
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- liabilities
- debts
- indebtedness