English Explanatory Dictionary

fortune

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. Destiny, especially favorable.
  2. A prediction or set of predictions about a person's future provided by a fortune teller.
  3. A small slip of paper with wise or vaguely prophetic words printed on it, baked into a fortune cookie.
  4. The arrival of something in a sudden or unexpected manner; chance; accident.
  5. Good luck.
  6. One's wealth; the amount of money one has, especially if it is vast.
  7. A large amount of money.
verb
  1. To provide (someone) with a fortune.
  2. To tell the fortune of (someone); to presage.
  3. To happen, to take place.
name
  1. A surname.
  2. A town in Newfoundland, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
  3. An unincorporated community in Cross County, Arkansas, United States.

Pronunciation

/ˈfɔːˌt͡ʃuːn/ [ˈfɔːˌt͡ʃʊu̯n] LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-fortune.wav /ˈfoɹˌt͡ʃun/ [ˈfoɹˌt͡ʃʰʊu̯n] /ˈfɔɹˌt͡ʃun/ [ˈfɔɹˌt͡ʃʰʊu̯n] /ˈfoɹt͡ʃən/ [ˈfoɹt͡ʃʰən] ~ [ˈfoɹt͡ʃʰn̩] /ˈfɔɹt͡ʃən/ [ˈfɔɹt͡ʃʰən] ~ [ˈfɔɹt͡ʃʰn̩] En-us-fortune.ogg /ˈfɔː.t͡ʃuːn/ /ˈfɔɹ.t͡ʃən/

Word forms

fortune fortunes fortuning fortuned

Etymology

From Middle English fortune, from Old French fortune, from Latin fortuna (“fate, luck”). The plural form fortunae meant “possessions”, which also gave fortune the meaning of “riches”.

Synonyms

doom fate chance destin destiny fatality foredoom foreordination fortune kismet lot orlay portion predestination predestiny preordination qadar weird wyrd hap luck adventure accident casualty chance-medley hazard joss serendipity fortuity felicity fortuitousness good cess good fortune good luck happiness luck of the Irish riches abundance affluence cheese ease Mammon opulence plenty richdom wealth

Antonyms

doom fate misfortune

Related words

fortuitous fortuity East Fortune

Derived words

befortune bracelets of fortune every man is the architect of his own fortune fortunate fortune cookie fortune favors the bold fortune favours the bold fortune favors the brave fortune favours the brave fortune favors the daring fortune favours the daring fortune-hunter fortune hunter fortune hunting fortuneless fortune-seeker fortune seeker fortune stick fortune-tell fortune-teller fortune-telling fortune telling fortunize good fortune hostage to fortune ill-fortune make a fortune megafortune seek one's fortune small fortune soldier of fortune stroke of fortune Temple Fortune unfortunate unfortuned wanfortune wheel of fortune
This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.
Back to search All on F Russian dictionary Dahl dictionary