First Known Use: 1537
Dictionary
success
noun suc·cess \sək-ˈses\
: the fact of getting or achieving wealth, respect, or fame
: the correct or desired result of an attempt
: someone or something that is successful : a person or thing that succeeds
Full Definition of SUCCESS
2
a : degree or measure of succeeding b : favorable or desired outcome; also : the attainment of wealth, favor, or eminence
3
: one that succeeds
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Examples of SUCCESS
- An enormous popular and critical success, The Liars' Club was credited with (or blamed for) launching a new wave of memoir-writing. (Karr deflects this accusation: “I think memoir started with St. Augustine,” she told Salon in 1997.) —Mollie Wilson O'Reilly, Commonweal, 23 Oct. 2009
- Fred tries to keep up his end of the conversation, but without much success; he has never grown bulbs, cooked veal, seen a film by Fassbinder, etc. He feels provincial and out of it … —Alison Lurie,Foreign Affairs, 2006
- Since I was interested in finding out about the successes as well as the failures disabled women experience in the world, I interviewed women who had some work experience, although it was often part-time work and sometimes interrupted. —Mary Grimley Mason, Working Against Odds, 2004
- The necessaries of life for man in this climate may, accurately enough, be distributed under the several heads of Food, Shelter, Clothing, and Fuel; for not till we have secured these are we prepared to entertain the true problems of life with freedom and a prospect of success. —Henry David Thoreau, Walden, 1854
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Origin of SUCCESS
Latin successus, from succedere (see succeed)
Related to SUCCESS
Rhymes with SUCCESS
abscess, access, address, aggress, assess, bench-press, caress, clothespress, coatdress, cold-press, compress, confess, cross-dress, CS, depress, de-stress, digress, distress, drill press, egress, excess, express, finesse, fluoresce, French press, full-dress, handpress, headdress, housedress, idlesse, impress, ingress, Meknes, much less, nightdress, noblesse, no less, obsess, oppress, outguess, possess, precess, prestress, princess, process, profess, progress, recess, redress, regress, re-press, repress, shirtdress, side-dress, SS, sundress, suppress, tendresse, top-dress, transgress, undress, unless, web press, winepress, word stress
SUCCESS Defined for Kids
success
noun suc·cess \sək-ˈses\
Definition of SUCCESS for Kids
1
: satisfactory completion of something <But you must, when you are calculating the odds of the mouse's success, factor in his love for the princess. — Kate DiCamillo, The Tale of Despereaux>
2
: the gaining of wealth, respect, or fame
3
: a person or thing that succeeds <The show was a success.>
Headscratcher for SUCCESS
The dictionary is the only place where success comes before work. How does that happen? Alphabetical order!
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