noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of florist
Explanation
A florist is someone whose job involves arranging and selling cut flowers. If you can't decide what flowers to buy your mom for Mother's Day, you can ask a florist for advice. It's most common to call the owner or manager of a flower shop a florist, although the word is also used to mean a person who grows flowers meant for cutting. Whether you're buying flowers for a sick friend or planning the bouquets for a wedding, a florist is the person you should consult. Florist comes from the French fleuriste, from the Latin root word flos, or "flower."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Fresh flowers, another old standby, endure as a suitable host gift—if you get them from a local florist, not a corner store, and go with seasonal varieties.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
Poppy wants to be a florist and dreams of opening a seasonal business selling homegrown local wildflowers.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
The florist business has appeared to make the De la Mora family rich though clearly not happy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
My mom worked a number of service jobs over the course of her life, whether it was as a baker or a florist at a grocery store or working at a customer call center.
From Salon ● Apr. 27, 2026
Before I could think of what to say, Mama picked up florist wire, kitchen shears, and a bucket of pink tea roses and scooted past me.
From Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles
The raids also affected small businesses orbiting around quinceañeras: makers of embossed invitations, sellers of tiaras and crowns, choreographers, caterers, florists and more.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 7, 2026
“This heightened competition has pressured online florists to restrain prices and speed up delivery, driving down profit for major companies like 1-800-Flowers.com and FTD Companies,” analyst Matthew Buchko wrote in a February report.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
“The competitive landscape is intensifying as consumers easily compare prices and reviews, forcing florists to continually innovate to retain market share.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
It also said florists could employ staff to sell fragrant lily of the valley, which is traditionally sold on Labour Day in France.
From Barron's ● May 1, 2026
They bought this concession from the cemetery officials and sold the wire frames to the florists who used them over and over again.
From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
