prospect

pros|pect¹ W2S2 [ˈprɔspekt US ˈpra:-] n

[Date: 1400-1500; : Latin; Origin: prospectus, from the past participle of prospicere 'to look forward']

1.) [U and C]

the possibility that something will happen

prospect of doing sth

▪ I see no prospect of things improving here.

▪ There is every prospect (=a strong possibility) of the weather remaining dry this week.

prospect for

▪ There are good prospects for growth in the retail sector.

prospect that

▪ There's a real prospect that England will not qualify for the World Cup.

2.) [singular]

a particular event which will probably or definitely happen in the future - used especially when you want to talk about how you feel about it

prospect of

▪ The prospect of marriage terrified Alice.

▪ Greeks face the prospect of new general elections next month.

▪ He relishes the prospect of a fight.

daunting/exciting etc prospect

be excited/alarmed/concerned etc at the prospect (of sth)

▪ She wasn't exactly overjoyed at the prospect of looking after her niece.

3.) prospects [plural]

chances of future success

▪ I had no job, no education, and no prospects .

job/career prospects

▪ Job prospects for graduates don't look good.

4.)

a person, job, plan etc that has a good chance of success in the future

5.) in prospect

formal likely to happen in the near future

▪ A new round of trade talks is in prospect.

6.) [C usually singular] formal

a view of a wide area of land, especially from a high place

prospect ²

pro|spect² [prəˈspekt US ˈpra:spekt] v [I]

1.) to examine an area of land or water, in order to find gold, silver, oil etc

prospect for

▪ The company is prospecting for gold in Alaska.

2.) to look for something, especially business opportunities

prospect for

▪ salesmen prospecting for new customers