for·tune (fôr'chən)
n.

1. 1. The chance happening of fortunate or adverse events; luck: He decided to go home for the holidays, and his fortune turned for the worse.
   2. fortunes The turns of luck in the course of one's life.
   3. Success, especially when at least partially resulting from luck: No matter what they tried, it ended in fortune.
2. 1. A person's condition or standing in life determined by material possessions or financial wealth: She pursued her fortune in another country.
   2. Extensive amounts of material possessions or money; wealth.
   3. 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.
4. 1. Fate; destiny: told my fortune with tarot cards.
   2. A foretelling of one's destiny.

v., -tuned, -tun·ing, -tunes.

v.tr.

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.]

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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