Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Something expected; a possibility.
  • noun Chances.
  • noun Financial expectations, especially of success.
  • noun A potential customer, client, or purchaser.
  • noun A candidate deemed likely to succeed.
  • noun The direction in which an object, such as a building, faces; an outlook.
  • noun Something presented to the eye; a scene.
  • noun The act of surveying or examining.
  • noun The location or probable location of a mineral deposit.
  • noun An actual or probable mineral deposit.
  • noun The mineral yield obtained by working an ore.
  • intransitive verb To search for or explore (a region) for mineral deposits or oil.
  • intransitive verb To explore for mineral deposits or oil.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To look forward; have a view or outlook; face.
  • (pros′ pekt). In mining, to make a search; explore: as, to prospect for a place which may be profitably worked for precious metal.
  • To look forward toward; have a view of.
  • (pros′ pekt). In mining: To explore for unworked deposits of ore, as a mining region.
  • To do experimental work upon, as a new mining claim, for the purpose of ascertaining its probable value: as, he is prospecting a claim.
  • noun In organ-building, the external front or façade of the instrument, including the case and the display-pipes.
  • noun The view of things within the reach of the eye; sight; survey.
  • noun That which is presented to the eye; scene; view.
  • noun A view or representation in perspective; a perspective; a landscape.
  • noun An object of observation or contemplation.
  • noun A place which affords an extensive view.
  • noun A wide, long, straight street or avenue: as, the Ascension Prospect in St. Petersburg.
  • noun Direction of the front of a building, window, or other object, especially in relation to the points of the compass; aspect; outlook; exposure: as, a prospect toward the south or north.
  • noun A looking forward; anticipation; foresight.
  • noun Expectation, or ground of expectation, especially expectation of advantage (often so used in the plural): as, a prospect of a good harvest; a prospect of preferment; his prospects are good.
  • noun In mining, any appearance, especially a surface appearance, which seems to indicate a chance for successful mining. Sometimes used as a synonym of color in panning out auriferous sand, or more often for the entire amount of metal obtained in panning or vanning.
  • noun In heraldry, a view of any sort used as a bearing: as, the prospect of a ruined temple.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • intransitive verb To make a search; to seek; to explore, as for mines or the like.
  • transitive verb To look over; to explore or examine for something.
  • noun That which is embraced by eye in vision; the region which the eye overlooks at one time; view; scene; outlook.
  • noun Especially, a picturesque or widely extended view; a landscape; hence, a sketch of a landscape.
  • noun rare A position affording a fine view; a lookout.
  • noun Relative position of the front of a building or other structure; face; relative aspect.
  • noun The act of looking forward; foresight; anticipation.
  • noun That which is hoped for; ground for hope or expectation; expectation; probable result.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun The potential things that may come to pass, often favorable.
  • noun A hope; a hopeful.
  • noun sports Any player whose rights are owned by a top-level professional team, but who has yet to play a game for said team.
  • noun music The facade of an organ.
  • verb intransitive To search, as for gold.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun the visual percept of a region
  • noun the possibility of future success
  • noun someone who is considered for something (for an office or prize or honor etc.)
  • noun a prediction of the course of a disease

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English prospecte, from Latin prōspectus, distant view, from past participle of prōspicere, to look out : prō-, forward; see pro– + specere, to look at; see spek- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Latin prospectus, past participle of prospicere, to look forward, from pro, before, forward + specere, spicere, to look, to see

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Examples

  • Helleborine, who could be the better long-term prospect, is 8-1, but must have the French Guineas as an alternative.

    Talking Horses Greg Wood 2010

  • To me, a prospect is always better than a pick if they are of comparable value.

    Q&A: Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke 2009

  • If this prospect is a real one, then we must start now to prepare our case for having a withdrawal question on the ballot paper.

    Archive 2008-05-04 2008

  • If this prospect is a real one, then we must start now to prepare our case for having a withdrawal question on the ballot paper.

    Tories to renegotiate our ties to the EU? 2008

  • So it has suddenly discovered that, though the prospect is as yet still distant, its huge parliamentary advantage is under threat in a way that it never would have been had we never had devolution.

    Archive 2007-11-18 2007

  • So it has suddenly discovered that, though the prospect is as yet still distant, its huge parliamentary advantage is under threat in a way that it never would have been had we never had devolution.

    Scots Labour Plan English Gerrymander 2007

  • No, Ellee I don't think I could cope with a whole class of kids - the prospect is a scarey one for me.

    Small Fish seeks Teeny Weeny Pond Newmania 2007

  • But few people with the specialised knowledge I have would give up their jobs and join the police when the prospect is a minimum of 4 years in a job where that experience is useless.

    OSPRE Selecta! « POLICE INSPECTOR BLOG Inspector Gadget 2006

  • Either prospect is a development to be anticipated in 1975.

    Facing Up to 1975 1974

  • Even so, the prospect is there, no matter how obscure and uncertain the path to it may be.

    The Obscenity Business 1969

Comments

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  • Fractured pillars frame prospects of rock

    from "Conversation Among the Ruins," Sylvia Plath

    March 26, 2008