prospect
pronunciation
How to pronounce prospect in British English:
UK [ˈprɒspekt , prəˈspekt]
How to pronounce prospect in American English:
US [ˈprɑːspekt]
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- Noun:
- the possibility of future success
- belief about (or mental picture of) the future
- someone who is considered for something (for an office or prize or honor etc.)
- the visual percept of a region
- a prediction of the course of a disease
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- Verb:
- search for something desirable
- explore for useful or valuable things or substances, such as minerals
Word Origin
- prospect (n.)
- early 15c., "act of looking into the distance," from Latin prospectus "distant view, look out; sight, faculty of sight," noun use of past participle of prospicere "look out on, look forward," from pro- "forward" (see pro-) + specere "look at" (see scope (n.1)). Meaning "extensive view of the landscape" is from 1530s; transferred sense of "mental view or survey" is from 1620s. Sense of "person or thing considered promising" is from 1922. Prospects "expectations, things looked forward to" is from 1660s.
- prospect (v.)
- "explore for gold, examine land with a view to a mining claim," 1841, from prospect (n.) in specialized sense of "spot giving prospects of ore" (1832). Earlier in a sense "look forth, look out over" (1550s), from Latin prospectare. Related: Prospected; prospecting.
Antonym
Example
- 1. That is a frightening prospect .
- 2. That prospect has investors salivating .
- 3. It remains a remote prospect .
- 4. Brussels frets over the prospect .
- 5. That is an alarming prospect .