From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishprospectpros‧pect1 /ˈprɒspekt $ ˈprɑː-/ ●●○ W3 AWL noun 1 [countable, uncountable]FUTURE the possibility that something will happenprospect of doing something 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.► see thesaurus at future2 [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 itprospect 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 prospectbe excited/alarmed/concerned etc at the prospect (of something) She wasn’t exactly overjoyed at the prospect of looking after her niece.3 → prospects4 [countable]CHANCE/OPPORTUNITY a person, job, plan etc that has a good chance of success in the future5 → in prospect6 [countable usually singular] formalDN a view of a wide area of land, especially from a high placeCOLLOCATIONS – Meaning 2: a particular event which will probably or definitely happen in the future – used especially when you want to talk about how you feel about itadjectivesdaunting (=frightening in a way that makes you not feel confident)It is a pretty daunting prospect, being on stage for forty minutes.terrifyingDriving through London in a strange car was a terrifying prospect.gloomy/grim/bleakMany Britons face the grim prospect of having their home repossessed.excitingWe were to be her guardians. This was an exciting prospect.attractiveA journey of that length was not an attractive prospect.verbsface the prospect (of something)Now they face the prospect of unemployment.relish the prospect (of something) (=enjoy the thought of it very much)She would have to speak to him. She didn’t relish the prospect.dread the prospect (of something) (=feel very worried about it)I dread the prospect of staying here while you’re away.phrasesbe excited/thrilled/delighted etc at the prospect (of something)I was excited at the prospect of going to Washington.be alarmed/appalled/upset etc at the prospect (of something)She was secretly appalled at the prospect of being looked after by her aunt.
Examples from the Corpus
prospect• Prospects for a peace settlement in the region are not very hopeful at the moment.• I hope I never have to have a brain operation - it must be an appalling prospect.• How would you view your career prospects?• In distant prospect I look forward to them greatly, as a break from the monotonous, lonely routine of writing.• There is every prospect of an economic recovery next year.• a fine prospect of the valley below• Wilder is considered a good prospect for the next election.• Job prospects for college graduates this spring don't look good.• He had no job and no prospect of getting one.• You can't marry a man with no job and no prospects!• Ironically, the message of all this activity is that the market is intensely worried about Saatchi's prospects.• He now had some buildings to show prospects.• But that possibility is faint, and the prospects of another large employer ever using the site are even more remote.• I had read a great deal about Professor Chomsky and I felt very excited at the prospect of meeting him.• Even a few years earlier, the prospect of radical change in the Roman Catholic Church was virtually unimaginable.• We are facing the prospect of a very hard winter.• These problems alone would not make the prospects for the straight forward treatment of deictic sentences within truth-conditional semantics look very hopeful.• The prospect of putting weapons in space is frightening to many people.• The prospects for peace are improving.real prospect• Without action by government, donors and trade partners, collapse is a real prospect.• With hopes of unity in the Western Cape there is a real prospect of international rugby once again this season.• After the text recapture Black has no real prospects of attack along the f-file while his central pawn structure becomes curiously inflexible.• What then are the real prospects for multimedia having a serious impact on school education?be excited/alarmed/concerned etc at the prospect (of something)• Personally, I was excited at the prospect of participating in a real blood-and-guts battle against a prohibitive odds-on favorite.• I was excited at the prospect of living in Seoul again and writing about my native place full-time. prospectpro‧spect2 /prəˈspekt $ ˈprɑːspekt/ verb [intransitive] 1 LOOK FORto examine an area of land or water, in order to find gold, silver, oil etc → prospectorprospect for The company is prospecting for gold in Alaska.2 to look for something, especially business opportunitiesprospect for salesmen prospecting for new customers→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
prospect• Okioc has been forced to defend its prospecting by calling in experts to look at the seal deaths.• John St.Clair spent hours prospecting for gold, and was rewarded with some bright literary nuggets.• It felt challenging and risky, like prospecting for gold.• Increased tin and gold metal prices from 1980 onwards encouraged prospecting for these commodities.• They need your help about everything from prospecting to how to get along with their administrative assistant.From Longman Business Dictionaryprospectpros‧pect1 /ˈprɒspektˈprɑː-/ noun1[countable, uncountable] a possibility that something which you hope for will happen soonprospect ofThere is little real prospect of significant economic growth.2prospects [plural] chances of future successprospects forfirms offering the best prospects for increasing productivity, profitability, and expansionIn Singapore, investors remain optimistic about prospects for the economy.3[singular] something that is possible or is likely to happen in the futureprospect ofThe prospect of still higher unemployment as growth slows is causing great concern.4[countable] a person, job, plan etc that has a good chance of success in the futureRadio is an exciting prospect: the forthcoming deregulation of the industry and an expected boom in advertising revenues is finally making the City take notice.5[countable]MARKETING someone who is not a customer yet, but may become one in the futureMercedes-Benz has kept its reputation by reminding prospects that its vehicles are ‘engineered like no other car in the world.’prospectpro‧spect2 /prəˈspektˈprɑːspekt/ verb [intransitive] to examine an area of land or water, in order to find gold, silver, oil etcprospect forAnglo-United was prospecting for gold in the area in the early eighties. —prospector noun [countable]The government has given gold prospectors access to more than a million acres of forest land.→ See Verb tableOrigin prospect1 (1400-1500) Latin prospectus, from the past participle of prospicere “to look forward” 