prosper

verb

pros·​per ˈprä-spər 

prospered; prospering ˈprä-sp(ə-)riŋ 

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

Synonyms

• burgeon
• bourgeon
• flourish
• 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

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

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

Kids Definition

prosper

verb

pros·​per ˈpräs-pər 

prospered; prospering -p(ə-)riŋ 

1

: to succeed or make money in something one is doing

2

: thrive sense 1, flourish

3

: to cause to become prosperous