prosper

verb

pros·​per ˈprä-spər How to pronounce prosper (audio)
prospered; prospering ˈprä-sp(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce prosper (audio)

intransitive verb

1
: to succeed in an enterprise or activity
especially : to achieve economic success
2
: to become strong and flourishing

transitive verb

: to cause to succeed or thrive

Examples of prosper in a Sentence

She prospered as a real estate agent. He hopes his business will prosper. No crop can prosper in this heat.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Advertisement SpaceX, in particular, would likely continue to prosper as NASA and the Pentagon’s primary partner for rocket launches. William Gavin, Quartz, 4 Nov. 2024 While Jared Kushner moved to D.C. to advise former president Trump and then to Miami to pursue private equity, his family’s real estate business quietly prospered in his absence—rebuilding a portfolio that’s now more valuable than his father-in-law’s. Monica Hunter-Hart, Forbes, 27 Oct. 2024 Two names that could prosper no matter who wins are New Fortress Energy Inc. (NFE) and Energy Transfer LP (ET), writes Elliott Gue. Moneyshow, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024 Three men are being awarded the Nobel Prize for Economics for their work exploring why some societies prosper and others don’t. Steve Forbes, Forbes, 17 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for prosper 

Word History

Etymology

Middle English prosperen, borrowed from Anglo-French prosperer "to promote, foster, be fortunate or successful," borrowed from Latin prosperāre "to cause to succeed, further" (Medieval Latin also, in passive, "to be granted success, succeed"), verbal derivative of prosperus "agreeable to one's wishes, successful, prosperous"

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of prosper was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near prosper

Cite this Entry

“Prosper.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prosper. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

prosper

verb
pros·​per ˈpräs-pər How to pronounce prosper (audio)
prospered; prospering -p(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce prosper (audio)
1
: to succeed or make money in something one is doing
2
3
: to cause to become prosperous

More from Merriam-Webster on prosper

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!