26984 words

fortune

9 definitions • 22 examples
1
a large amount of money, goods, property, etc.:

Examples:

She inherited a fortune from her grandmother.
He lost a fortune gambling.
make a fortune You can make a fortune out of junk if you call it antiques.
cost a fortune This dress cost a fortune.
a small fortune You don't need to spend a small fortune to be prepared.
worth a fortune Any painting by Van Gogh is worth a fortune.
2
chance and the way it affects your life:

Examples:

have the fortune to He had the fortune to train with some of the world's top athletes.
good fortune They couldn't believe their good fortune.
The family's fortunes changed overnight.
3
to discover what will happen to someone in the future, for example by looking at the lines on their hands or using a special set of cards:

Examples:

Cast out by her parents and with nowhere to go, she meets an old woman who tells her fortune.
4
a very large amount of money or property:

Examples:

They made a fortune in real estate.
This dress cost a (small) fortune (= a lot of money).
5
the set of good or bad events that happen to you and have an effect on your life:

Examples:

[ U ] He had the good fortune to be awarded a scholarship.
6
If someone tells your fortune, that person tries to discover what will happen to you in the future, for example by looking at the lines on your hands or by using a special set of cards.
7
an extremely large amount of money:

Examples:

pay/spend a fortune The company needs to spend a fortune to bring all of its stores up to scratch.
make/lose a fortune Businesses will lose a fortune after the peak tourist season disaster.
The cars on this list won't cost a fortune to insure.
They had spent a small fortune on television advertising.
8
a large amount of valuable property or money that someone has collected or inherited:

Examples:

Her personal fortune was estimated at £24 million.
He is heir to a $3billion oil fortune, the latest generation of the 31st richest family in the US.
9
the successes or failures that a person, company, or industry has at a particular time:

Examples:

the fortunes of sb/sth Political and financial factors will also affect the fortunes of these companies.
sb's/sth's fortunes He proved himself highly effective in turning around the car manufacturer's fortunes.
a change/decline/improvement in the fortunes of sth/sb The rapid improvement in the fortunes of the paper industry shows clearly how difficult it is to predict the future at any time.

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