strike it rich
Hit the motherload
Strike it rich means to suddenly acquire wealth, originally through discovering gold or other valuable ore: Prospectors came to California hoping to strike it rich.
The phrase now applies to any sudden financial windfall—winning the lottery, making a lucrative investment, or launching a successful business: She struck it rich with her tech startup.
Accumulated gambling prize
- lotteryRandomized prize distribution
- inheritanceProperty received from ancestors
- bonanzaSudden large windfall
- sweepstakesPrize contest decided randomly
bequest · payout · prize · dividend · bonus · treasure · discovery · boon
One seeking valuable deposits
- motherlodePrimary ore deposit
- nuggetSmall solid lump
- claimStatement of ownership or truth
- forty-ninerGold rush prospector
boomtown · panning · goldfield · staking · placer · miner · ore · sluice
Person possessing great wealth
- billionairePerson worth ten figures
- tycoonDominant industrial leader
- magnateWealthy business leader
- fortuneWealth or destiny
riches · affluence · opulence · assets · estate · portfolio · nest egg · financial freedom
Accidental fortunate discovery
- flukeChance stroke of luck
- chanceLikelihood of occurrence
- fatePredetermined course of events
- kismetPreordained future outcome
destiny · providence · happenstance · coincidence · break · opportunity · stroke of luck · odds
jackpot
Accumulated gambling prize
- lotteryRandomized prize distribution
- inheritanceProperty received from ancestors
- bonanzaSudden large windfall
sweepstakes · bequest · payout · prize · dividend · bonus · treasure · discovery · boon · bounty
prospector
One seeking valuable deposits
- motherlodePrimary ore deposit
- nuggetSmall solid lump
- claimStatement of ownership or truth
forty-niner · boomtown · panning · goldfield · staking · placer · miner · ore · sluice · pickaxe
millionaire
Person possessing great wealth
- billionairePerson worth ten figures
- tycoonDominant industrial leader
- magnateWealthy business leader
fortune · riches · affluence · opulence · assets · estate · portfolio · nest egg · financial freedom · nouveau riche
serendipity
Accidental fortunate discovery
kismet · destiny · providence · happenstance · coincidence · break · opportunity · stroke of luck · odds · fortune
entrepreneur
One who starts businesses
- startupNew business enterprise
- IPOFirst public stock offering
- breakthroughSudden important advance
boom · venture · innovation · big break · making it · payday · cash in · score · triumph
- Gold RushCalifornia Gold Rush, gold miners, gold mining, gold flakes, gold nuggets
- success idiomshit the jackpot, make it, rags to riches, come out on top, hit it out of the park
- windfallsjackpot, windfall, grand prize, found money, big win
- KlondikeKlondike, stampeders, sourdoughs, sourdough, gold claims
- mining historyminers, gold pan, gold mining, pickaxes, silver mining
- seek one's fortunegold rush, prospecting, treasure hunt, new beginning, fresh start
strike it richgo bankrupt
Become legally insolvent
lose one's shirt · go bust · hit rock bottom · fall on hard times · go under
strike it richearn a living
Gain income through work
work one's way up · scrimp and save · climb the ladder · grind it out
rich, strike, striking, enrich, struck, richly, richer, strikes, enriched