n.1 a chance or luck as a force in human affairs. b a person's destiny.
2 (Fortune) this force personified, often as a deity.
3 (in sing. or pl.) luck (esp. favourable) that befalls a person or enterprise.
4 good luck.
5 prosperity; a prosperous condition.
6 (also colloq. small fortune) great wealth; a huge sum of money.
Phrases and idioms:
fortune-hunter colloq. a person seeking wealth by marriage. fortune-teller a person who claims to predict future events in a person's life. fortune-telling the practice of this. make a (or one's) fortune acquire wealth or prosperity. tell a person's fortune make predictions about a person's future.
Etymology: ME f. OF f. L fortuna luck, chance