Fortune Meaning
/ˈfɔː(ˌ)t͡ʃuːn/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounDestiny, especially favorable.
nounA prediction or set of predictions about a person's future provided by a fortune teller.
Sentence Examples
Diligence is the mother of good fortune.
Fortune is the rod of the weak, and the staff of the brave.
He made a fortune in real estate.
CEFR Practice Quiz
She found a large ____ in a hidden chest and became rich.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The young entrepreneur made a massive ____ by developing a popular app for mobile devices.
Word Origin & History
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”.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"you, who men's fortunes in their faces read"
— 1647, Abraham Cowley, “My Fate”, in The Mistress:
"[…]his lordship was out of humour. That was the way Chollacombe described as knaggy an old gager as ever Charles had had the ill-fortune to serve."
— 1959, Georgette Heyer, chapter 1, in The Unknown Ajax:
"'Tis more by fortune, lady, than by merit."
— c. 1607–1608 (date written), William Shakespeare, [George Wilkins?], The Late, and Much Admired Play, Called Pericles, Prince of Tyre. […], London: […] [William White and Thomas Creede] for Henry Gosson, […], published 1609, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iii]:
"There is a tide in the affairs of men / Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune."
— 1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iii]:
"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife."
— 1813 January 27, [Jane Austen], chapter I, in Pride and Prejudice: […], volume I, London: […] [George Sidney] for T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC, page 1:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
She found a large ____ in a hidden chest and became rich.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The young entrepreneur made a massive ____ by developing a popular app for mobile devices.