fortune
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Related to fortunes: fortune teller, Horoscopes
for·tune
(fôr′chən)n.
1.
a. The chance happening of fortunate or adverse events; luck: He decided to travel, and his fortune turned for the worse.
b. fortunes The turns of luck in the course of one's life.
c. Success, especially when at least partially resulting from luck: No matter what they tried, it ended in fortune.
2.
a. A person's condition or standing in life determined by material possessions or financial wealth: She pursued her fortune in Rome.
b. Extensive amounts of material possessions or money; wealth.
c. A large sum of money: spent a fortune on the new car.
3. often Fortune A hypothetical, often personified force or power that favorably or unfavorably governs the events of one's life: We believe that Fortune is on our side.
4.
a. Fate; destiny: told my fortune with tarot cards.
b. A foretelling of one's destiny.
v. for·tuned, for·tun·ing, for·tunes
v.tr.
1. Archaic To endow with wealth.
2. Obsolete To ascribe or give good or bad fortune to.
v.intr. Archaic
To occur by chance; happen.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
fortune
(ˈfɔːtʃən)n
1. an amount of wealth or material prosperity, esp, when unqualified, a great amount
2. small fortune a large sum of money
3. (European Myth & Legend) 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
vb
archaic
a. (tr) to endow with great wealth
b. (intr) to happen by chance
[C13: from Old French, from Latin fortūna, from fors chance]
ˈfortuneless adj
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
for•tune
(ˈfɔr tʃən)n., v. -tuned, -tun•ing. n.
1. position in life as determined by wealth: to make one's fortune.
2. wealth; riches: lost a fortune.
3. an ample stock of material possessions: inherited a fortune.
4. chance; luck: had the bad fortune to go bankrupt.
5. fortunes, varied occurrences that happen or are to happen to a person in life.
6. fate; destiny: to tell someone's fortune.
7. (cap.) chance personified, commonly regarded as a mythical being distributing arbitrarily or capriciously the lots of life.
v.t. 8. Archaic. to endow with a fortune.
v.i. 9. Archaic. to chance; happen.
[1250–1300; Middle English < Old French < Latin fortūna chance, luck, fortune]
for′tune•less, adj.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
fortune
- Latin fors, "chance," formed fortuna, "that which fate brings along," hence fortune, "luck" or "good luck."See also related terms for luck.
Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.
Fortune/Misfortune
See Also: RICHES
- Adversity was spreading over him like mold —Irvin S. Cobb
- Bad moments, like good ones, tend to be grouped together —Edna O’Brien
- Blessed as the meek who shall inherit the earth —Anon
This illustrates how a quote can be transposed into a simile.
- The day of fortune is like a harvest day, we must be busy when the corn is ripe —Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
- Disasters … rolling in the brain like pebbles —Denise Levertov
- Fortune is as … brittle as glass —Publilius Syrus
- Fortune is like glass: she breaks when she is brightest —Latin proverb
- Fortune is like the market, where if you will bide your time, the price will fall —German proverb
A variation by Francis Bacon begins like the above and finishes as follows: “If you can stay a little, the price will fall.”
- Fortunes made in no time are like shirts made in no time; it’s ten to one if they hang long together —Douglas Jerrold
- Fortune sits on him like a ton of shit —Irving Feldman
- Good fortune, like ripe fruit, ought to be enjoyed while it is present —Epictetus
- Good fortune seemed to be following me like a huge affectionate dog —John Braine
- It’s a nightmare like trying to conquer the Himalayas on roller skates or swim the English Channel lashed to a cannon —T. Coraghessan Boyle
- Luck is like having a rice dumpling fly into your mouth —Japanese proverb
- A luckless man … the kind of man who would have gotten two complimentary tickets for the Titanic —William Mcllvanney
The actual text in Scotch author Mcllvanney’s Papers of Tony Veitch reads: “The kinnaa man woulda got two complimentary tickets for the Titanic.”
- Luck shines in his face like good health —Anon
- Misfortunes disappeared, as though swept away by a great flood of sunlight —Emile Zola
- Misfortunes, like the owl, avoid the light —Charles Churchill
- Misfortunes … passed over her like wild geese —Ellen Glasgow
- Mishaps are like knives, that either serve us or cut us, as we grasp them by the blade or the handle —James Russell Lowell
- The storms of adversity, like those of the ocean, rouse the faculties —Captain Frederick Marryatt
- Sweet are the uses of adversity which, like the toad, ugly and venomous, wears yet a precious jewel in his head —William Shakespeare
- Tried to conceal his misfortune as if it were a vice —Mihail Lermontov
- To wait for luck is like waiting for death —Japanese proverb
Similes Dictionary, 1st Edition. © 1988 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
fortune
Good fortune is good luck.
He has since had the good fortune to be promoted.
He could hardly believe his good fortune.
It's lucky that I'm going abroad.
It's a good job you were there.
Note that in American English, you use a good thing, rather than a good job.
It's a good thing you didn't call me that night.
Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012
fortune
Past participle: fortuned
Gerund: fortuning
| Imperative |
|---|
| fortune |
| fortune |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Noun | 1. |  fortune - an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another; "bad luck caused his downfall"; "we ran into each other by pure chance"phenomenon - any state or process known through the senses rather than by intuition or reasoning mischance, mishap, bad luck - an unpredictable outcome that is unfortunate; "if I didn't have bad luck I wouldn't have any luck at all" even chance, tossup, toss-up - an unpredictable phenomenon; "it's a toss-up whether he will win or lose" |
| 2. | fortune - a large amount of wealth or prosperity hoarded wealth, treasure - accumulated wealth in the form of money or jewels etc.; "the pirates hid their treasure on a small island in the West Indies" | |
| 3. | fortune - an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that leads to a favorable outcome; "it was my good luck to be there"; "they say luck is a lady"; "it was as if fortune guided his hand" phenomenon - any state or process known through the senses rather than by intuition or reasoning | |
| 4. |  fortune - your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you); "whatever my fortune may be"; "deserved a better fate"; "has a happy lot"; "the luck of the Irish"; "a victim of circumstances"; "success that was her portion"condition - a mode of being or form of existence of a person or thing; "the human condition" providence - a manifestation of God's foresightful care for his creatures bad luck, ill luck, tough luck, misfortune - an unfortunate state resulting from unfavorable outcomes failure - lack of success; "he felt that his entire life had been a failure"; "that year there was a crop failure" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
fortune
noun
1. large sum of money, bomb (Brit. slang), packet (slang), bundle (slang), big money, big bucks (informal, chiefly U.S.), top dollar (informal), megabucks (U.S. & Canad. slang), an arm and a leg (informal), king's ransom, pretty penny (informal) Eating out all the time costs a fortune.
2. wealth, means, property, riches, resources, assets, pile (informal), possessions, treasure, prosperity, mint, gold mine, wad (U.S. & Canad. slang), affluence, opulence, tidy sum (informal) He made his fortune in car sales.
wealth poverty, hardship, privation, penury, destitution, indigence
wealth poverty, hardship, privation, penury, destitution, indigence
3. luck, accident, fluke (informal), stroke of luck, serendipity, hap (archaic), twist of fate, run of luck Such good fortune must be shared with my friends.
plural noun destiny, life, lot, experiences, history, condition, success, means, circumstances, expectation, adventures She kept up with the fortunes of the family.
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]
"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]
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
fortune
noun1. The quality shared by random, unintended, or unpredictable events or this quality regarded as the cause of such events:
2. Success attained as a result of chance:
Idiom: good fortune.
3. All things, such as money, property, or goods, having economic value:
4. A great amount of accumulated money and precious possessions:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
ثَرْوَةثَرْوَهحَظ
jměnímajlantnáhodaosud
formueheld
kohtaloomaisuusonnisattumatuuri
bogatstvo
szerencse
fortuna
auîur, auîæfigæfa, heppni
大金富幸運機会運命
재산
fortuna
būrėjaburti kam ateitįfortūnaišburti kam ateitįkrūva pinigų
bagātībalaimeveiksme
premoženjesrečausoda
förmögenhettur
ทรัพย์สมบัติมากมาย
tài sản to lớn
fortune
[ˈfɔːtʃən]A. N
1. (= luck) → fortuna f, suerte f
by good fortune → por fortuna
we had the good fortune to find him → tuvimos la suerte de encontrarlo
the fortunes of war → las vicisitudes or las peripecias de la guerra
he restored the company's fortunes → restableció la prosperidad de la empresa, devolvió el éxito a la compañía
to seek one's fortune elsewhere → buscar fortuna en otro lugar
to try one's fortune → probar fortuna
by good fortune → por fortuna
we had the good fortune to find him → tuvimos la suerte de encontrarlo
the fortunes of war → las vicisitudes or las peripecias de la guerra
he restored the company's fortunes → restableció la prosperidad de la empresa, devolvió el éxito a la compañía
to seek one's fortune elsewhere → buscar fortuna en otro lugar
to try one's fortune → probar fortuna
B. CPD fortune cookie N (esp US) galleta china con un mensaje sobre la suerte
fortune hunter N → cazafortunas mf inv
fortune hunter N → cazafortunas mf inv
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
fortune
[ˈfɔːrtʃuːn] n (= large amount of money) → fortune f
Kate earns a fortune! → Kate gagne une fortune!
to make a fortune → gagner beaucoup d'argent
a small fortune → une petite fortune
his personal fortune (= personal wealth) → sa fortune personnelle
Kate earns a fortune! → Kate gagne une fortune!
to make a fortune → gagner beaucoup d'argent
a small fortune → une petite fortune
his personal fortune (= personal wealth) → sa fortune personnelle
(= luck) → chance f
to tell sb's fortune → dire la bonne aventure à quelqu'un
to have mixed fortunes (= varying levels of success) → connaître des hauts et des bas
The electoral fortunes of the party may decline → Le succès électoral du parti pourrait décliner.
to tell sb's fortune → dire la bonne aventure à quelqu'un
to have mixed fortunes (= varying levels of success) → connaître des hauts et des bas
The electoral fortunes of the party may decline → Le succès électoral du parti pourrait décliner.
to follow the fortunes of sb [film, programme, book] → suivre le parcours de qn
The film follows the fortunes of two women → Le film suit les parcours de deux femmes.fortune cookie n (US) → gâteau m de riz chinois (renfermant un horoscope ou une devise)fortune-teller [ˈfɔːrtʃuːntɛlər] n (gen) → diseur/euse m/f de bonne aventure; (with cards) → cartomancien(ne) m/f, tireur/euse m/f de cartesfortune-telling [ˈfɔːrtʃuːntɛlɪŋ] n (gen) → divination f; (with cards) → cartomancie f
The film follows the fortunes of two women → Le film suit les parcours de deux femmes.fortune cookie n (US) → gâteau m de riz chinois (renfermant un horoscope ou une devise)fortune-teller [ˈfɔːrtʃuːntɛlər] n (gen) → diseur/euse m/f de bonne aventure; (with cards) → cartomancien(ne) m/f, tireur/euse m/f de cartesfortune-telling [ˈfɔːrtʃuːntɛlɪŋ] n (gen) → divination f; (with cards) → cartomancie f
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
fortune
n
(= fate) → Schicksal nt, → Geschick nt; (= chance) → Zufall m; she followed his fortunes with interest → sie verfolgte sein Geschick mit Interesse; the fortunes of war → das Auf und Ab des Krieges; he had the good fortune to have rich parents → er hatte das Glück, reiche Eltern zu haben; by good fortune → glücklicherweise, zum Glück; by sheer good fortune → rein zufällig; fortune has favoured (Brit) or favored (US) him → das Glück war ihm hold; fortune favours the brave or bold (Brit Prov) → das Glück ist nur dem Tüchtigen hold; ill fortune → Pech nt; to tell somebody’s fortune → jdm wahrsagen
(= money) → Reichtum m, → Vermögen nt; to come into/make a fortune → ein Vermögen erben/machen; to seek/make one’s fortune → sein Glück versuchen/machen; to marry a fortune → reich heiraten; it costs a fortune → es kostet ein Vermögen; she spends a (small) fortune on clothes → sie gibt ein (kleines) Vermögen für Kleidung aus
fortune
:fortune-hunter
n → Mitgiftjäger(in) m(f)
fortune-teller
n → Wahrsager(in) m(f)
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
fortune
[ˈfɔːtʃən] na. (chance) → fortuna
the fortunes of war → le vicende della guerra
by good fortune → per fortuna
to tell sb's fortune → predire l'avvenire a qn
the fortunes of war → le vicende della guerra
by good fortune → per fortuna
to tell sb's fortune → predire l'avvenire a qn
b. (money) → fortuna
to come into a fortune → ereditare una fortuna
to make a fortune → farsi una fortuna or un patrimonio
a small fortune (fam) → un patrimonio
to come into a fortune → ereditare una fortuna
to make a fortune → farsi una fortuna or un patrimonio
a small fortune (fam) → un patrimonio
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
fortune
(ˈfoːtʃən) noun1. whatever happens by chance or (good or bad) luck. whatever fortune may bring.
2. a large amount of money. That ring must be worth a fortune!
ˈfortunate (-nət) adjective having good fortune; lucky. It was fortunate that no-one was killed in the accident.
ˈfortunately adverbˈfortune-teller noun
someone who tells fortunes.
tell (someone's) fortune to foretell what will happen to someone in the future. The gypsy told my fortune.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
fortune
→ ثَرْوَة majlant formue Vermögen τύχη fortuna omaisuus chance bogatstvo fortuna 大金 재산 fortuin formue fortuna fortuna состояние förmögenhet ทรัพย์สมบัติมากมาย servet tài sản to lớn 财富Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009