What does "prospect" mean?
The region which the eye overlooks at one time; view; scene; outlook.
Prospect
/ˈpɹɒspɛkt/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The region which the eye overlooks at one time; view; scene; outlook.
- Grammar: prospect is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: outlook, view, vista, aftertime.
- Useful contrasts: current client, discard, exhausted deposit.
- Usage evidence: The prospect of famine hangs over many areas of the world.
How to use "prospect"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "prospect" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "prospect" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "prospect" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "prospect" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "prospect" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "outlook" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "prospect", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The region which the eye overlooks at one time; view; scene; outlook.
"As when a Scout[…]Obtains the brow of ſome high-climbing Hill, / Which to his eye diſcovers unaware / The goodly proſpect of ſome forein land / Firſt-ſeen, or ſome renownd Metropolis / With gliſtering Spires and Pinnacles adornd, / Which now the Riſing Sun guilds with his beams."
- 2 a prediction of the course of a disease wordnet
- 3 A picturesque or panoramic view; a landscape; hence, a sketch of a landscape.
"I went to Putney, and other places on the Thames, to take prospects in crayon, to carry into France, where I thought to have them engraved."
- 4 the visual percept of a region wordnet
- 5 A position afford a fine view; a lookout.
"Him God beholding from his proſpect high, / Wherein paſt, preſent, future he beholds, / Thus to his onely Son forſeeing ſpake."
Show 10 more definitions
- 6 belief about (or mental picture of) the future wordnet
- 7 Relative position of the front of a building or other structure; face; relative aspect.
"Their prospect was toward the south."
- 8 someone who is considered for something (for an office or prize or honor etc.) wordnet
- 9 The act of looking forward; foresight; anticipation.
"a very ill prospect of a future state"
- 10 the possibility of future success wordnet
- 11 The potential things that may come to pass, often favorable.
"The result, therefore, of this physical inquiry is, that we find no vestige of a beginning,— no prospect of an end."
- 12 A hope; a hopeful.
"The most persistent tormentor was Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who scored a hat-trick in last month’s corresponding fixture in Iceland. His ability to run at defences is instantly striking, but it is his clever use of possession that has persuaded some shrewd judges that he is an even better prospect than Theo Walcott."
- 13 Any player whose rights are owned by a top-level professional team, but who has yet to play a game for said team.
- 14 A potential client or customer.
- 15 The façade of an organ.
Verb
- 1 To search, as for gold. intransitive
"Among the ancient sites in the Taklamakan Desert which are frequented by Khotan "treasure seekers," and which the prospecting parties sent out by me had visited, none seemed to offer better opportunities for systematic excavations than the one known to them as Dandan-Uilik."
- 2 explore for useful or valuable things or substances, such as minerals wordnet
- 3 To determine which minerals or metals are present in a location.
- 4 search for something desirable wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A census-designated place in Jackson County, Oregon, United States.
- 2 A suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
- 3 An inner suburb of Adelaide, South Australia.
- 4 A local government area in Adelaide, which includes the suburb; in full, the City of Prospect.
- 5 A suburb of Launceston, northern Tasmania, Australia.
Antonyms
Example
"The prospect of famine hangs over many areas of the world."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "prospect"?
Common synonyms include: outlook, view, vista, aftertime, afteryears, airscape.
How do you use "prospect" in a sentence?
The prospect of famine hangs over many areas of the world.
How do you pronounce "prospect"?
Pronounced /ˈpɹɒspɛkt/.
Etymology
From Latin prospectus, past participle of prospicere (“to look forward”), from pro (“before, forward”) + specere, spicere (“to look, to see”), equivalent to pro- + -spect. Doublet of prospectus.