Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Fortune
For′tune
(fôr′tū̍n; 135)
, Noun.
[F.
fortune
, L. fortuna
; akin to fors
, fortis
, chance, prob. fr. ferre
to bear, bring. See Bear
to support, and cf. Fortuitous
.] 1.
The arrival of something in a sudden or unexpected manner; chance; accident; luck; hap; also, the personified or deified power regarded as determining human success, apportioning happiness and unhappiness, and distributing arbitrarily or fortuitously the lots of life.
’T is more by
fortune
, lady, than by merit. Shakespeare
O
Fortune
, Fortune
, all men call thee fickle. Shakespeare
2.
That which befalls or is to befall one; lot in life, or event in any particular undertaking; fate; destiny;
as, to tell one's
. fortune
You, who men's
fortunes
in their faces read. Cowley.
3.
That which comes as the result of an undertaking or of a course of action; good or ill success; especially, favorable issue; happy event; success; prosperity as reached partly by chance and partly by effort.
Our equal crimes shall equal
fortune
give. Dryden.
There is a tide in the affairs of men,
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to
fortune
. Shakespeare
His father dying, he was driven to seek his
fortune
. Swift.
Syn. – Chance; accident; luck; fate.
Fortune book
, a book supposed to reveal future events to those who consult it.
Crashaw.
– Fortune hunter
, one who seeks to acquire wealth by marriage.
– Fortune teller
, one who professes to tell future events in the life of another.
– Fortune telling
, the practice or art of professing to reveal future events in the life of another.
1.
To make fortunate; to give either good or bad fortune to.
[Obs.]
Chaucer.
2.
To provide with a fortune.
Richardson.
3.
To presage; to tell the fortune of.
[Obs.]
Dryden.
For′tune
,Verb.
I.
To fall out; to happen.
It
fortuned
the same night that a Christian, serving a Turk in the camp, secretely gave the watchmen warning. Knolles.
Webster 1828 Edition
Fortune
FOR'TUNE
,Noun.
1.
Properly, chance; accident; luck; the arrival of something in a sudden or unexpected manner. Hence the heathens deified chance, and consecrated temples and altars to the goddess. Hence the modern use of the word, for a power supposed to distribute the lots of life, according to her own humor.Though fortune's malice overthrow my state.
2.
The good or ill that befalls man.In you the fortune of Great Britain lies.
3.
Success, good or bad; event.Our equal crimes shall equal fortune give.
4.
The chance of life; means of living; wealth.His father dying, he was driven to London to seek his fortune.
5.
Estate; possessions, as a gentleman of small fortune.6.
A large estate; great wealth. This is often the sense of the word standing alone or unqualified; as a gentleman or lady of fortune. To the ladies we say, beware of fortune-hunters.7.
The portion of a man or woman; generally of a woman.8.
Futurity; future state or events; destiny. The young are anxious to have their fortunes told.You who men's fortunes in their faces read.
FOR'TUNE
,Verb.
T.
1.
To make fortunate. [Not used.]2.
To dispose fortunately or not; also, to presage. Obs.FOR'TUNE
,Verb.
I.
It fortuned the same night that a christian serving a Turk in the camp, secretly gave the watchmen warning.
Definition 2024
Fortune
fortune
fortune
English
Noun
fortune (plural fortunes)
- Destiny, especially favorable.
- She read my fortune. Apparently I will have a good love life this week, but I will have a bad week for money.
- Mrs. Cowley (1743-1809)
- you, who men's fortunes in their faces read
- 1959, Georgette Heyer, chapter 1, in The Unknown Ajax:
- […] his lordship was out of humour. That was the way Chollacombe described as knaggy an old gager as ever Charles had had the ill-fortune to serve.
- A prediction or set of predictions about a person's future provided by a fortune teller.
- A small slip of paper with wise or vaguely prophetic words printed on it, baked into a fortune cookie.
- The arrival of something in a sudden or unexpected manner; chance; accident.
- William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
- 'Tis more by fortune, lady, than by merit.
- William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
- Good luck.
- Fortune favors the brave.
- William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
- There is a tide in the affairs of men, / Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune.
- One's wealth; the amount of money one has; especially, if it is vast.
- He's amassed a small fortune working in the Middle East.
- My vast fortune was a result of inheritance and stock market nous.
- Her fortune is estimated at 3 million dollars.
- A large amount of money.
- That car must be worth a fortune! How could you afford it?
- 2015 June 24, Chris Chappell as himself, “Top 10 Chinese Knockoffs of Foreign Products”, in China Uncensored, New Tang Dynasty Television, New Tang Dynasty Television, 00:02:53 from the start:
- Why spend a small fortune on Puma when you could buy Numa, Tuna or Pigg? And why buy Adidas when you can buy Adidos or Avivas? Nike, when there's Nire or Hike? Calvin Klein, when clearly, Calvim Klain or Cavern Kernel are just as good? But remember, after a good workout, be sure to clean up with some Okay shampoo.
Synonyms
- See also Wikisaurus:wealth
Antonyms
- (good luck): doom, misfortune
Derived terms
Translations
destiny
|
|
a chance
good luck
|
|
lots of riches
Verb
fortune (third-person singular simple present fortunes, present participle fortuning, simple past and past participle fortuned)
- (obsolete, intransitive) To happen, take place. [14th-19th c.]
- 1526, William Tyndale, trans. Bible, Matthew ch. 8:
- Then the heerdmen, fleed and went there ways into the cite, and tolde everythinge, and what had fortuned unto them that were possessed of the devyls.
- 1885, Sir Richard Burton, “Night 20”, in The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night:
- It fortuned one night that the Sultan purposed setting out on a journey next morning
- 1526, William Tyndale, trans. Bible, Matthew ch. 8:
- To provide with a fortune.
- (Can we find and add a quotation of Richardson to this entry?)
- To presage; to tell the fortune of.
- (Can we find and add a quotation of Dryden to this entry?)
Statistics
Most common English words before 1923: foreign · native · members · #958: fortune · glass · silver · winter