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Related to fortuned: fortuitously


b. fortunes The turns of luck in the course of one's life.
a. A person's condition or standing in life determined by material possessions or financial wealth: She pursued her fortune in Rome.
b. Extensive amounts of material possessions or money; wealth.
c. A large sum of money: spent a fortune on the new car.
3. often Fortune A hypothetical, often personified force or power that favorably or unfavorably governs the events of one's life: We believe that Fortune is on our side.
a. Fate; destiny: told my fortune with tarot cards.
b. A foretelling of one's destiny.
v. for·tuned, for·tun·ing, for·tunes
1. Archaic To endow with wealth.
2. Obsolete To ascribe or give good or bad fortune to.
v.intr. Archaic
To occur by chance; happen.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin fortūna; see bher- in Indo-European roots.]


1. an amount of wealth or material prosperity, esp, when unqualified, a great amount
2. small fortune a large sum of money
3. (European Myth & Legend) a power or force, often personalized, regarded as being responsible for human affairs; chance
4. luck, esp when favourable
5. (often plural) a person's lot or destiny
a. (tr) to endow with great wealth
b. (intr) to happen by chance
[C13: from Old French, from Latin fortūna, from fors chance]
ˈfortuneless adj


(ˈfɔr tʃən)

n., v. -tuned, -tun•ing. n.
1. position in life as determined by wealth: to make one's fortune.
2. wealth; riches: lost a fortune.
3. an ample stock of material possessions: inherited a fortune.
4. chance; luck: had the bad fortune to go bankrupt.
5. fortunes, varied occurrences that happen or are to happen to a person in life.
6. fate; destiny: to tell someone's fortune.
7. (cap.) chance personified, commonly regarded as a mythical being distributing arbitrarily or capriciously the lots of life.
8. Archaic. to endow with a fortune.
9. Archaic. to chance; happen.
[1250–1300; Middle English < Old French < Latin fortūna chance, luck, fortune]
for′tune•less, adj.


- Latin fors, "chance," formed fortuna, "that which fate brings along," hence fortune, "luck" or "good luck."
See also related terms for luck.



See Also: RICHES

  1. Adversity was spreading over him like mold —Irvin S. Cobb
  2. Bad moments, like good ones, tend to be grouped together —Edna O’Brien
  3. Blessed as the meek who shall inherit the earth —Anon

    This illustrates how a quote can be transposed into a simile.

  4. The day of fortune is like a harvest day, we must be busy when the corn is ripe —Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
  5. Disasters … rolling in the brain like pebbles —Denise Levertov
  6. Fortune is as … brittle as glass —Publilius Syrus
  7. Fortune is like glass: she breaks when she is brightest —Latin proverb
  8. Fortune is like the market, where if you will bide your time, the price will fall —German proverb

    A variation by Francis Bacon begins like the above and finishes as follows: “If you can stay a little, the price will fall.”

  9. Fortunes made in no time are like shirts made in no time; it’s ten to one if they hang long together —Douglas Jerrold
  10. Fortune sits on him like a ton of shit —Irving Feldman
  11. Good fortune, like ripe fruit, ought to be enjoyed while it is present —Epictetus
  12. Good fortune seemed to be following me like a huge affectionate dog —John Braine
  13. It’s a nightmare like trying to conquer the Himalayas on roller skates or swim the English Channel lashed to a cannon —T. Coraghessan Boyle
  14. Luck is like having a rice dumpling fly into your mouth —Japanese proverb
  15. A luckless man … the kind of man who would have gotten two complimentary tickets for the Titanic —William Mcllvanney

    The actual text in Scotch author Mcllvanney’s Papers of Tony Veitch reads: “The kinnaa man woulda got two complimentary tickets for the Titanic.”

  16. Luck shines in his face like good health —Anon
  17. Misfortunes disappeared, as though swept away by a great flood of sunlight —Emile Zola
  18. Misfortunes, like the owl, avoid the light —Charles Churchill
  19. Misfortunes … passed over her like wild geese —Ellen Glasgow
  20. Mishaps are like knives, that either serve us or cut us, as we grasp them by the blade or the handle —James Russell Lowell
  21. The storms of adversity, like those of the ocean, rouse the faculties —Captain Frederick Marryatt
  22. Sweet are the uses of adversity which, like the toad, ugly and venomous, wears yet a precious jewel in his head —William Shakespeare
  23. Tried to conceal his misfortune as if it were a vice —Mihail Lermontov
  24. To wait for luck is like waiting for death —Japanese proverb


Good fortune is good luck.

He has since had the good fortune to be promoted.
He could hardly believe his good fortune.
It's lucky that I'm going abroad.
It's a good job you were there.

Note that in American English, you use a good thing, rather than a good job.

It's a good thing you didn't call me that night.


Past participle: fortuned
Gerund: fortuning

I fortune
you fortune
he/she/it fortunes
we fortune
you fortune
they fortune
I fortuned
you fortuned
he/she/it fortuned
we fortuned
you fortuned
they fortuned
Present Continuous
I am fortuning
you are fortuning
he/she/it is fortuning
we are fortuning
you are fortuning
they are fortuning
Present Perfect
I have fortuned
you have fortuned
he/she/it has fortuned
we have fortuned
you have fortuned
they have fortuned
Past Continuous
I was fortuning
you were fortuning
he/she/it was fortuning
we were fortuning
you were fortuning
they were fortuning
Past Perfect
I had fortuned
you had fortuned
he/she/it had fortuned
we had fortuned
you had fortuned
they had fortuned
I will fortune
you will fortune
he/she/it will fortune
we will fortune
you will fortune
they will fortune
Future Perfect
I will have fortuned
you will have fortuned
he/she/it will have fortuned
we will have fortuned
you will have fortuned
they will have fortuned
Future Continuous
I will be fortuning
you will be fortuning
he/she/it will be fortuning
we will be fortuning
you will be fortuning
they will be fortuning
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been fortuning
you have been fortuning
he/she/it has been fortuning
we have been fortuning
you have been fortuning
they have been fortuning
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been fortuning
you will have been fortuning
he/she/it will have been fortuning
we will have been fortuning
you will have been fortuning
they will have been fortuning
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been fortuning
you had been fortuning
he/she/it had been fortuning
we had been fortuning
you had been fortuning
they had been fortuning
I would fortune
you would fortune
he/she/it would fortune
we would fortune
you would fortune
they would fortune
Past Conditional
I would have fortuned
you would have fortuned
he/she/it would have fortuned
we would have fortuned
you would have fortuned
they would have fortuned
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.fortune - an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than anotherfortune - an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another; "bad luck caused his downfall"; "we ran into each other by pure chance"
mischance, mishap, bad luck - an unpredictable outcome that is unfortunate; "if I didn't have bad luck I wouldn't have any luck at all"
even chance, tossup, toss-up - an unpredictable phenomenon; "it's a toss-up whether he will win or lose"
2.fortune - a large amount of wealth or prosperity
fluke, good fortune, good luck - a stroke of luck
4.fortune - your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you)fortune - your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you); "whatever my fortune may be"; "deserved a better fate"; "has a happy lot"; "the luck of the Irish"; "a victim of circumstances"; "success that was her portion"
good fortune, good luck, luckiness - an auspicious state resulting from favorable outcomes
providence - a manifestation of God's foresightful care for his creatures


1. large sum of money, bomb (Brit. slang), packet (slang), bundle (slang), big money, big bucks (informal, chiefly U.S.), top dollar (informal), megabucks (U.S. & Canad. slang), an arm and a leg (informal), king's ransom, pretty penny (informal) Eating out all the time costs a fortune.
2. wealth, means, property, riches, resources, assets, pile (informal), possessions, treasure, prosperity, mint, gold mine, wad (U.S. & Canad. slang), affluence, opulence, tidy sum (informal) He made his fortune in car sales.
wealth poverty, hardship, privation, penury, destitution, indigence
3. luck, accident, fluke (informal), stroke of luck, serendipity, hap (archaic), twist of fate, run of luck Such good fortune must be shared with my friends.
4. chance, fate, destiny, providence, the stars, Lady Luck, kismet, fortuity He is certainly being smiled on by fortune.
plural noun destiny, life, lot, experiences, history, condition, success, means, circumstances, expectation, adventures She kept up with the fortunes of the family.
"Fortune, that favours fools" [Ben Jonson The Alchemist]
"The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune" [William Shakespeare Hamlet]
"Base Fortune, now I see, that in thy wheel"
"There is a point, to which when men aspire,"
"They tumble headlong down" [Christopher Marlowe Edward II]


2. Success attained as a result of chance:
Idiom: good fortune.
asset (used in plural), capital, mean (used in plural), resource (used in plural), wealth, wherewithal.
4. A great amount of accumulated money and precious possessions:
5. A large sum of money:
Slang: pile.
6. That which is inevitably destined:
auîur, auîæfigæfa, heppni
būrėjaburti kam ateitįfortūnaišburti kam ateitįkrūva pinigų
tài sản to lớn


A. N
1. (= luck) → fortuna f, suerte f
by good fortunepor fortuna
we had the good fortune to find himtuvimos la suerte de encontrarlo
the fortunes of warlas vicisitudes or las peripecias de la guerra
he restored the company's fortunesrestableció la prosperidad de la empresa, devolvió el éxito a la compañía
to seek one's fortune elsewherebuscar fortuna en otro lugar
to try one's fortuneprobar fortuna
2. (= fate) → suerte f, destino m
to tell sb's fortunedecir a algn la buenaventura
3. (= property, wealth) → fortuna f
to come into a fortuneheredar una fortuna
to marry a fortunecasarse con un hombre/una mujer acaudalado/a
4. (= huge amount of money) → dineral m, platal m (LAm)
to cost a fortunecostar un ojo de la cara, valer un dineral
to make a fortuneenriquecerse, ganar un dineral
a small fortuneun montón de dinero, un dineral
B. CPD fortune cookie N (esp US) galleta china con un mensaje sobre la suerte
fortune hunter Ncazafortunas mf inv


[ˈfɔːrn] n
(= large amount of money) → fortune f
Kate earns a fortune! → Kate gagne une fortune!
to make a fortune → gagner beaucoup d'argent
a small fortune → une petite fortune
his personal fortune (= personal wealth) → sa fortune personnelle
(= luck) → chance f
to tell sb's fortune → dire la bonne aventure à quelqu'un
to have mixed fortunes (= varying levels of success) → connaître des hauts et des bas
The electoral fortunes of the party may decline → Le succès électoral du parti pourrait décliner.
to follow the fortunes of sb [film, programme, book] → suivre le parcours de qn
The film follows the fortunes of two women → Le film suit les parcours de deux femmes.fortune cookie n (US)gâteau m de riz chinois (renfermant un horoscope ou une devise)fortune-teller [ˈfɔːrntɛlər] n (gen)diseur/euse m/f de bonne aventure; (with cards)cartomancien(ne) m/f, tireur/euse m/f de cartesfortune-telling [ˈfɔːrntɛlɪŋ] n (gen)divination f; (with cards)cartomancie f


(= fate)Schicksal nt, → Geschick nt; (= chance)Zufall m; she followed his fortunes with interestsie verfolgte sein Geschick mit Interesse; the fortunes of wardas Auf und Ab des Krieges; he had the good fortune to have rich parentser hatte das Glück, reiche Eltern zu haben; by good fortuneglücklicherweise, zum Glück; by sheer good fortunerein zufällig; fortune has favoured (Brit) or favored (US) himdas Glück war ihm hold; fortune favours the brave or bold (Brit Prov) → das Glück ist nur dem Tüchtigen hold; ill fortunePech nt; to tell somebody’s fortunejdm wahrsagen
(= money)Reichtum m, → Vermögen nt; to come into/make a fortuneein Vermögen erben/machen; to seek/make one’s fortunesein Glück versuchen/machen; to marry a fortunereich heiraten; it costs a fortunees kostet ein Vermögen; she spends a (small) fortune on clothessie gibt ein (kleines) Vermögen für Kleidung aus


nMitgiftjäger(in) m(f)
nWahrsager(in) m(f)


[ˈfɔːtʃən] n
a. (chance) → fortuna
the fortunes of war → le vicende della guerra
by good fortune → per fortuna
to tell sb's fortune → predire l'avvenire a qn
b. (money) → fortuna
to come into a fortune → ereditare una fortuna
to make a fortune → farsi una fortuna or un patrimonio
a small fortune (fam) → un patrimonio


(ˈfoːtʃən) noun
1. whatever happens by chance or (good or bad) luck. whatever fortune may bring.
2. a large amount of money. That ring must be worth a fortune!
ˈfortunate (-nət) adjective
having good fortune; lucky. It was fortunate that no-one was killed in the accident.
ˈfortunately adverb
ˈfortune-teller noun
someone who tells fortunes.
tell (someone's) fortune
to foretell what will happen to someone in the future. The gypsy told my fortune.


ثَرْوَة majlant formue Vermögen τύχη fortuna omaisuus chance bogatstvo fortuna 大金 재산 fortuin formue fortuna fortuna состояние förmögenhet ทรัพย์สมบัติมากมาย servet tài sản to lớn 财富