Definition of "self-made" [self•-made]

• Having achieved success or recognition by one's own efforts: a self-made millionaire. (adjective)
• Made by itself or oneself: a self-made pond. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Indeed only four of the 42 women, or 1% of all Forbes 400 members, are self-made including Gap"
• "As a self-made millionaire who made his fortune as a real estate developer, Fred Wilpon would be the first to tell you that neither Rome nor pennant contenders were built in a day."
• "Both have "rags to riches" stories, rising from poverty to become two of 14 self-made billionaire women in the world."