1
general::
fortune
verbs
make a fortune
( also amass a fortune formal ) (= gain a lot of money )
• His family amassed a fortune during that period.
make your fortune
(= become rich )
• She made her fortune in the cosmetics industry.
earn a fortune
• He hopes to earn a fortune from his latest invention.
lose a fortune
(= lose a lot of money )
• He lost a fortune in an unwise business deal.
cost a fortune
(= be very expensive )
• It’ll cost a fortune if we go by taxi.
spend a fortune
• You don’t have to spend a fortune giving your family healthy meals.
pay a fortune
(= pay a lot of money )
• We had to pay a fortune in rent.
inherit a fortune
(= gain a lot of money after someone dies )
• He inherited a fortune of a million pounds from his uncle.
leave somebody a fortune
(= arrange for someone to receive a lot of money after you die )
• He left his wife a modest fortune.
ADJECTIVES/NOUN + fortune
a huge/vast/immense fortune
• Timothy was the heir to a vast fortune.
a large/substantial/considerable fortune
• His father, an oil magnate, amassed a large fortune.
a small fortune
(= a very large amount of money )
• He made a small fortune in the London property boom.
a personal/private fortune
• She is one of the richest women in Britain, with an estimated personal fortune of £90 million.
a £20 million/$40 million etc fortune
• She is believed to have a £25 million fortune.
phrases
be worth a fortune
informal:
• The building itself is worth a fortune.
transnet.ir
4
general::
noun luck ADJ. good | ill QUANT. piece, stroke By a stroke of good fortune, Steven was still in his office. VERB + FORTUNE have | bring (sb) A horseshoe nailed to your door is supposed to bring good fortune. FORTUNE + VERB be on sb's side, favour sb For once, fortune was on our side: the weather improved in time for the match. | smile on sb Fortune smiled on me that day (= I had good fortune). PHRASES as good/ill fortune would have it As good fortune would have it, a bus came along just when I needed it. | a change in/of fortune All we can do is hope for a change in fortune. | have the good fortune to do sth I had the good fortune to work with people I liked. fortunes: what happens to sb/sth ADJ. declining, flagging | changing, fluctuating, mixed a year of mixed fortunes for the company | economic, electoral VERB + FORTUNE revive The party still hopes to revive its flagging electoral fortunes. | follow fans who follow the fortunes of their chosen team FORTUNE + VERB change, fluctuate A company's fortunes can change overnight. | improve, rise | decline, fall as the country's fortunes rose and fell PHRASES a reversal of fortunes The company suffered a great reversal of fortunes when public taste changed. what is going to happen to sb in the future VERB + FORTUNE read, tell They went to have their fortunes read. FORTUNE + NOUN teller, telling very large amount of money ADJ. considerable, enormous, great, immense, large, substantial, vast | small (= quite large) Rebuilding the house must have cost a small fortune. | family, personal VERB + FORTUNE accumulate, acquire, amass, build (up), make, win | inherit | leave (sb) Her aunt died and left her a fortune. | lose, squander He lost his fortune in the stock market crash of 1929. squandering the family fortune | seek They went to seek their fortune abroad. | be worth (informal) Some of those old toys are worth a fortune now. | cost (informal) | pay, spend (both informal) She spends a fortune on clothes! PREP. ~ from He built his fortune from breeding horses. | ~ in She made a fortune in the property boom. | ~ on They sold their house at the right time and made a fortune on it. | ~ out He has amassed a considerable fortune out of trading shares. PHRASES fame and fortune They went to America in search of fame and fortune. | heir/heiress to a fortune He was sole heir to the family fortune.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary