prospect

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. Something expected; a possibility.
2. n. Chances.
3. n. Financial expectations, especially of success.
4. n. A potential customer, client, or purchaser.
5. n. A candidate deemed likely to succeed.
6. n. The direction in which an object, such as a building, faces; an outlook.
7. n. Something presented to the eye; a scene: a pleasant prospect.
8. n. The act of surveying or examining.
9. n. The location or probable location of a mineral deposit.
10. n. An actual or probable mineral deposit.
11. n. The mineral yield obtained by working an ore.
12. v. To search for or explore (a region) for mineral deposits or oil.
13. v. To explore for mineral deposits or oil.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. To look forward; have a view or outlook; face.
2. (pros′ pekt). In mining, to make a search; explore: as, to prospect for a place which may be profitably worked for precious metal.
3. To look forward toward; have a view of.
4. (pros′ pekt). In mining: To explore for unworked deposits of ore, as a mining region.
5. To do experimental work upon, as a new mining claim, for the purpose of ascertaining its probable value: as, he is prospecting a claim.
6. n. The view of things within the reach of the eye; sight; survey.
7. n. That which is presented to the eye; scene; view.
8. n. A view or representation in perspective; a perspective; a landscape.
9. n. An object of observation or contemplation.
10. n. A place which affords an extensive view.
11. n. A wide, long, straight street or avenue: as, the Ascension Prospect in St. Petersburg.
12. n. 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.
13. n. A looking forward; anticipation; foresight.
14. n. 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.
15. n. 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.
16. n. In heraldry, a view of any sort used as a bearing: as, the prospect of a ruined temple. = Syn. 1-3. Scene, Landscape, etc. See view, n.
17. n. In organ-building, the external front or façade of the instrument, including the case and the display-pipes.

Wiktionary

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

GNU Webster's 1913

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

WordNet 3.0

1. n. the visual percept of a region
2. n. the possibility of future success
3. n. someone who is considered for something (for an office or prize or honor etc.)
4. n. a prediction of the course of a disease
5. v. search for something desirable
6. n. belief about (or mental picture of) the future
7. v. explore for useful or valuable things or substances, such as minerals