prospectus

noun

pro·​spec·​tus prə-ˈspek-təs How to pronounce prospectus (audio)
prä-
plural prospectuses
1
: a preliminary printed statement that describes an enterprise (such as a business or publication) and that is distributed to prospective buyers, investors, or participants
2
: something (such as a statement or situation) that forecasts the course or nature of something

Did you know?

Prospectus Is a Word for the Forward-Thinking

Like prospect, prospectus looks forward. Thus, a prospectus originally outlined something that didn't yet exist, describing what it would become. This might even be a book; the great dictionary of Noah Webster, like that of Samuel Johnson, was first announced in the form of a prospectus, so that well-to-do people might actually subscribe to it—that is, pay for it in advance so that Webster would have money to live on while writing it. Soon, prospectus was being used to mean a description of a private school or college, intended to attract new students. Today the word very often means a description of a stock offering or mutual fund, whether new or not.

Examples of prospectus in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web According to the prospectus filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the company made $804 million in revenues last year and posted a net loss of $90.8 million. Cio, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 Sam Altman is pretty deeply invested in Reddit: OpenAI’s CEO was revealed as Reddit’s third largest shareholder in a IPO prospectus filed with U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Thursday. Bruce Gil, Quartz, 23 Feb. 2024 The offering is being made only by means of a prospectus which is a part of the Registration Statement. Sacramento Bee, 9 Feb. 2024 The combined business pulled in $3.55 billion in revenue in 2022, its last disclosed full year, and $3.1 billion in the nine months ending Sept. 30, 2023, Coffey reported, according to the initial prospectus filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission. Brooks Warren, The Courier-Journal, 7 Jan. 2024 In addition, copies of the prospectus relating to the Offering may be obtained via the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Sacramento Bee, 9 Feb. 2024 Arm made nearly $2.7 billion in revenue in the fiscal year ended March, according to its prospectus. Michelle Toh, CNN, 5 Sep. 2023 The prospectus came to me by way of Landon Jones, the editor of this magazine from 1989 to 1997. Wendy Naugle, Peoplemag, 4 Jan. 2024 India’s Ola Electric, which makes two-wheeled electric scooters, filed in late December a draft prospectus for a public listing, seeking to raise about $662 million. Megha Mandavia, WSJ, 31 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'prospectus.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin, prospect

First Known Use

1765, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of prospectus was in 1765

Dictionary Entries Near prospectus

Cite this Entry

“Prospectus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prospectus. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

prospectus

noun
pro·​spec·​tus prə-ˈspek-təs How to pronounce prospectus (audio)
prä-
plural prospectuses
: a printed statement that describes something (as a new business) and is sent out to people who may want to take part (as by investing)

Legal Definition

prospectus

noun
pro·​spec·​tus prə-ˈspek-təs How to pronounce prospectus (audio)
plural prospectuses
-tə-səz
: a preliminary printed statement describing a business or other enterprise and distributed to prospective buyers, investors, or participants
specifically : a description of a new security issue supplied to prospective purchasers and providing a disclosure of detailed information concerning the company's business and financial standing

Note: Under the Securities Act of 1933, the prospectus is part of the registration statement that must be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission before a security may be offered or sold to the public. The Securities Act defines prospectus broadly as “any prospectus, notice, circular, advertisement, letter, or communication, written or by radio or television, which offers any security for sale or confirms the sale of any security.”

More from Merriam-Webster on prospectus

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