You use success as a noun. Successes is the plural form of success.
To indicate that someone has achieved something, you can say: “He achieved great success in the business world” or “She was successful in raising her children.”
When you are talking about a series of things that happened, you use the word successes; for example, “We had three successes in a row.”
Let’s discuss the definitions of success and successes and how to use them in sentences.
What is success?
Many people use the word success to mean achieving one’s goals or being happy with one’s life.
The word success is used as a noun. The verb is succeed, and the adjective is successful.
As a noun, success means the achievement of something desired, planned, or attempted. As an adjective, successful means having achieved something.
Success is hard to define because its meaning varies from person to person. You have to be successful in your own way.
For example, maybe you start a family, and that is what success means to you. Or perhaps becoming rich and famous is your definition of success.
Is it grammatically correct to say successes? Is successes a word?
The word successes is grammatically correct. Success is both a countable and uncountable noun. You might use success or successes as the plural form, depending on the context.
Generally speaking, English speakers use success as the plural form. However, in more specific contexts, we may prefer to use successes.
Success or Successes
Here is how we use success or successes in a sentence.
The word “successes” is the plural form of success. Take the example: “his films were a great success” or “his films were great successes.” Which is correct?
If you want to talk about his film career or all his films as a whole, you could say:
“His films were a great success.”
If you want to talk about a collection of or various types of individual successes, you could say:
“His films were great successes.”
What’s another word for successes?
Hits (suggests popularity, especially in the entertainment industry). Example sentence: “The song was a hit.”
- Achievements (something attained, done, or accomplished).
Example sentence: “Her achievements as an athlete are many.”
- Wins (a victory or success, especially in a contest or competition).
Example sentence: “He has had many wins over the course of his career.”
- Victories (successes gained by overcoming an opponent, often used in battle or some kind of struggle).
Example sentence: “The victory was Pyrrhus’s.”
- Triumphs (a great success, or victory– when you win a war or competition).
Example sentence: “He was praised for his military triumphs.”
- Accomplishments (an act or deed that achieves an aim or purpose).
Example sentence: “He was most proud of his scientific accomplishments.”
- Attainments (achieving important or valuable goals).
Example sentence: “The attainment of independence was a long and arduous process.”
- Megahits (extremely successful, outstandingly successful).
Example sentence: “His latest album was a megahit.”
- Blockbusters (a famous film, book or other product that is a great success and makes a lot of money).
Example sentence: “The new Star Wars movie is a blockbuster.”
- Winners (a person or thing that wins something).
Example sentence: “Ben was one of the many Academy Award winners.”
Practice What You’ve Learned
- ___________ (success/successes/successful) comes after years of effort and hard work.
- You are one of the teacher’s ___________. (success/successes/successful)
- Everyone said last year’s mid-autumn festival was a great ___________. (success/successes/successful)
- You are a ___________ businessman. (success/successes/successful)
- I thanked God for my many ___________. (success/successes/successful)
- The book launch was a major ___________. (success/successes/successful)
- I wish you all the ___________ (success/successes/successful) in your new venture.
- He achieved much ___________ in politics. (success/successes/successful)
- We hope it will be a ___________ project. (success/successes/successful)
- They had many fails and few ___________. (success/successes/successful)
- All bets were placed on the future ___________ of the young golfer.(success/successes/successful)
- Tom’s wife was behind many of his biggest ___________. (success/successes/successful)
Answers:
- Success comes after years of effort and hard work.
- You are one of the teacher’s successes. (you are one of many, “one of” suggest more than one individual)
- Everyone said last year’s mid-autumn festival was a great success.
- You are a successful businessman.
- I thanked God for my many successes. (“many” is for countable nouns. Successes is the countable plural form)
- The book launch was a major success.
- I wish you all the success in your new venture.
- He achieved much success in politics (much is used for uncountable nouns only).
- We hope it will be a successful project.
- They had many fails and few successes.
- All bets were placed on the future success of the young golfer. OR All bets were placed on the future successes of the young golfer. (both are okay)
- Tom’s wife was behind many of his biggest successes.
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In Conclusion
In conclusion, it is clear that success is countable and uncountable.
When referring to more than one individual success, the word “successes” can be used. If you refer to success as a whole, we can use “success” as the plural noun.
How do you define success? Let me know in the comments below!
Useful Links
- What Kind of Vs What Kinds of? Which is Correct?
- Research or Researches: Which is Correct? Simple English Explanations
- Have a Great Weekend or Have a Nice Weekend?
- Is Unfavourite a Word? Definition and Examples
- When to Use Stuff and Stuffs in a Sentence?
Caitriona Maria is an education writer and founder of TPR Teaching, crafting inspiring pieces that promote the importance of developing new skills. For 7 years, she has been committed to providing students with the best learning opportunities possible, both domestically and abroad. Dedicated to unlocking students' potential, Caitriona has taught English in several countries and continues to explore new cultures through her travels.
