fortune

[fawr-chuhn]

noun

1. position in life as determined by wealth.

   It's not easy to make one's fortune from humble beginnings.

2. wealth or riches.

   He lost a small fortune in bad investments.

3. great wealth; ample stock of money, property, and the like.

   Those gems are worth a fortune.

4. chance; luck.

   They each had the bad fortune to marry the wrong person.

   Synonyms: karma, kismet, providence, destiny, fate

5. fortunes. things that happen or are to happen to a person in their life.

   Her charitable spirit stayed with her even as her fortunes changed with marriage.

6. fate; lot; destiny.

   Whatever my fortune may be, my faith will guide me.

7. Fortune. chance personified, commonly regarded as a mythical being distributing arbitrarily or capriciously the lots of life.

   Perhaps Fortune will smile on our venture.

   Synonyms: Lady Luck, Moira

8. good luck; success; prosperity.

   The family was blessed by fortune.

9. Archaic.,  a wealthy woman; an heiress.

verb (used with object)

fortuned, fortuning 

1. Archaic.,  to endow (someone or something) with a fortune.

verb (used without object)

fortuned, fortuning 

1. Archaic.,  to chance or happen; come by chance.

fortune

/ ˈfɔːtʃən /

noun

1. an amount of wealth or material prosperity, esp, when unqualified, a great amount

2. a large sum of money

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

1. archaic

   1. (tr) to endow with great wealth

   2. (intr) to happen by chance

Other Word Forms

• fortuneless adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of fortune¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Old French, from Latin fortūna “chance, luck, fortune,” derivative of fort- (stem of fors ) “chance”

Word History and Origins

Origin of fortune¹

C13: from Old French, from Latin fortūna , from fors chance

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. tell someone's fortune, to profess to inform someone of future events in their own life; foretell.

see make a fortune.

Example Sentences

“Happy Together,” a song rejected by a number of pop groups, revived the group’s fortunes, thanks in part to a sterling arrangement masterminded by new bassist Chip Douglas.

From Los Angeles Times

Rather, what will be key to Reform's fortunes and specifically its vote share will be the outcome of a battle with the Conservatives for the support of pro-Brexit, socially-conservative and climate-sceptic Britain.

From BBC

Konsa is hopeful they can turn their fortunes around after the international break.

From BBC

It marks a turnaround in fortunes for the former Middlesbrough player, who was sent out on loan three times by Spurs - to Rennes, Leeds and Genoa - before establishing himself in the first team last season.

From BBC

She may also be a hostage to fortune in the promise that the Budget will help bring inflation, currently at 3.8%, down.

From BBC