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

No one, though, has prospered more than the Dodgers. —Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 9 Dec. 2024

Will business prosper under a second Donald Trump presidency? —Paul Krugman, The Mercury News, 29 Nov. 2024

Will the ones who look at quality, a clear point of difference, truth in their story, a long-term plan and with good distribution survive and prosper? —John Mariani, Forbes, 20 Nov. 2024

First of all, it was based on the actual evidence, which was that Amazon continued to prosper. —Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 27 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