fortune

fortune
for‧tune S3 W3 /ˈfɔːtʃən $ ˈfɔːr-/ noun1.  MONEY  [countable] a very large amount of money:
    He made a fortune selling property in Spain.
    My first painting sold for £25, a small fortune then for an art student.
    He died in poverty in 1947, but his art is worth a fortune.
    The carpet must have cost a fortune.
    It is quite easy to decorate your house without spending a fortune.
    Her personal fortune was estimated at £37 million.
2.  CHANCE  [uncountable] chance or luck, and the effect that it has on your life:
    I had the good fortune to work with a brilliant head of department.
    Sickness or ill fortune could reduce you to a needy situation.
    I felt it was useless to struggle against fortune.
3.  WHAT HAPPENS TO YOU  [countable usually plural] the good or bad things that happen in life:
    a downturn in the company’s fortunes
    This defeat marked a change in the team’s fortunes.
    The geographical position of the frontier fluctuated with the fortunes of war (=the things that can happen during a war).
4. tell sb’s fortune to tell someone what will happen to them in the future by looking at their hands, using cards etc
⇨ soldier of fortune, ⇨ fame and fortune at fame, ⇨ a hostage to fortune at hostage(3), ⇨ seek your fortune at seek(4)
     

COLLOCATIONS

■ 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.