What does "fortune" mean?

1. (luck or chance) luck or the way things happen by chance. 2. (a large amount of money) a very large amount of money or wealth. 3. (future or destiny) what is going to happen to you in the future. 4. (a prediction) a prediction about what will happen in your life, often told by a 'fortune teller'.

fortune — meaning, definition & examples

Q: Is it correct to say "He has much fortune"?

No — say "He has a lot of money / He has good fortune". When referring to wealth, 'fortune' is usually a countable noun preceded by 'a'; 'much fortune' sounds like a mistake between wealth and luck.

Word

01luck or chance

B1 · Intermediate Uncountable noun

n. luck or the way things happen by chance.

n. the power or force that determines the course of events; chance or luck as an external influence.

“Fortune smiled on us, and we found a parking spot right in front of the restaurant.”

“Whether by skill or by mere fortune, the explorer managed to avoid the storm that sank the rest of the fleet.”

Synonyms

luck chance fate

02a large amount of money

B1 · Intermediate Countable noun

n. a very large amount of money or wealth.

n. a large sum of money or a vast accumulation of assets and property.

“He made a fortune by selling his tech company to a larger business.”

“The family lost their entire fortune during the economic collapse, forcing them to sell their estate and move to a modest apartment.”

Synonyms

wealth riches millions

Antonyms

pittance

03future or destiny

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun

n. what is going to happen to you in the future.

n. the success or failure of a person or enterprise over a period of time; one's destiny.

“The company's fortunes began to improve after they hired a new manager.”

“The political fortunes of the minister shifted rapidly following the publication of the controversial report.”

Synonyms

destiny prospects

04a prediction

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun

n. a prediction about what will happen in your life, often told by a 'fortune teller'.

n. a prophecy or prediction regarding a person's future life.

“The woman at the fair told my fortune using a deck of cards.”

“Superstitious by nature, the king refused to go to war until he had consulted a seer to have his fortune told.”

Synonyms

prediction prophecy

Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “fortune” in context.

Verb

01. amass a fortune

“He managed to amass a fortune through clever investments in the tech industry.”

verb + noun

02. cost a fortune

“Buying a new car in the city center will cost a fortune in insurance and parking fees.”

verb + noun

03. seek one's fortune

“Many young people moved to the capital to seek their fortune during the gold rush.”

verb + possessive + noun

04. spend a fortune on

“They spent a fortune on their daughter's wedding last summer.”

verb + noun + prep

Adjective

05. small fortune

“The repairs to the roof are going to cost us a small fortune.”

adj + noun

06. vast fortune

“The billionaire left his vast fortune to various charitable organizations.”

adj + noun

Noun

07. reversal of fortune

“The team suffered a sudden reversal of fortune and lost the championship in the final minute.”

noun + of + noun

08. stroke of fortune

“By a lucky stroke of fortune, the missing documents were found in the recycling bin.”

noun + of + noun

Countable when referring to a large sum of money ('a fortune'); uncountable when referring to luck or fate in a general sense.

He has much fortune

He has a lot of money / He has good fortune

When referring to wealth, 'fortune' is usually a countable noun preceded by 'a'; 'much fortune' sounds like a mistake between wealth and luck.

“Instead, by the time of his death in 1931, Straus had donated much of his fortune.”

The Conversation 11 Aug 2026

“A former mayor of Dendermonde, Piet Buyse, told HLN that the Van Assche’s fortune had “certainly stayed in the family.”

The Guardian 14 Aug 2026

NOUN

Fortune(B2)

ADJECTIVE

fortunate(B2)

unfortunate vagaries

01. tell fortunes

Exam level: CambridgeB2 FirstIELTS5.5–6.5TOEFL iBT72–94TOEIC785–944

Frequency: Common

Level: B2 · Upper IntermediateOxford

Updated: October 20, 2026

englishreference.com/q/fortune

Word

fortune

Definitions

01luck or chance

02a large amount of money

03future or destiny

04a prediction

Collocations

Usage

Pitfall

Real-World Examples

Word family

Related words

Idioms

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