flourish
Americanverb (used without object)
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to be in a vigorous state; thrive.
a period in which art flourished.
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to be in its or in one's prime; be at the height of fame, excellence, influence, etc.
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to be successful; prosper.
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to grow luxuriantly, or thrive in growth, as a plant.
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to make dramatic, sweeping gestures.
Flourish more when you act out the king's great death scene.
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to add embellishments and ornamental lines to writing, letters, etc.
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to sound a trumpet call or fanfare.
verb (used with object)
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to brandish dramatically; gesticulate with.
a conductor flourishing his baton for the crescendo.
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to decorate or embellish (writing, a page of script, etc.) with sweeping or fanciful curves or lines.
- Synonyms:
- ornament
noun
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an act or instance of brandishing.
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an ostentatious display.
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a decoration or embellishment, especially in writing.
He added a few flourishes to his signature.
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Rhetoric. a parade of fine language; an expression used merely for effect.
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a trumpet call or fanfare.
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a condition or period of thriving.
in full flourish.
verb
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(intr) to thrive; prosper
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(intr) to be at the peak of condition
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(intr) to be healthy
plants flourish in the light
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to wave or cause to wave in the air with sweeping strokes
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to display or make a display
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to play (a fanfare, etc) on a musical instrument
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(intr) to embellish writing, characters, etc, with ornamental strokes
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to add decorations or embellishments to (speech or writing)
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(intr) an obsolete word for blossom
noun
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the act of waving or brandishing
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a showy gesture
he entered with a flourish
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an ornamental embellishment in writing
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a display of ornamental language or speech
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a grandiose passage of music
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an ostentatious display or parade
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obsolete
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the state of flourishing
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the state of flowering
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Synonym Usage
See succeed.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
flourishsimple
-
flourishessimple
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have flourishedperfect
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has flourishedperfect
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am flourishingprogressive
-
are flourishingprogressive
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is flourishingprogressive
-
have been flourishingperfect progressive
-
has been flourishingperfect progressive
Past
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flourishedsimple
-
had flourishedperfect
-
was flourishingprogressive
-
were flourishingprogressive
-
had been flourishingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of flourish
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English florisshen, from Middle French floriss-, long stem of florir, ultimately from Latin flōrēre “to bloom,” derivative of flōs flower
Explanation
A flourish is an extra touch — a trumpet's "ta-ta-da!" announcing a king's entrance, a fancy carving atop an otherwise utilitarian pillar, a wave of a flag or a cheerleader's pompom. Flourish can also mean "growth": "With the right teacher, a child will flourish." To understand how the two meanings of flourish connect, remember that the word "flower" (spelled flour-) is hiding inside it. Flowers are used for decoration and ornamentation, but they also grow. Get it? Good for you! Imagine a cheerleader shouting out your name, flourishing her pom-poms.
Vocabulary lists containing flourish
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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:
It might be that we really need to do it the other way round - if we can make each community flourish, then the country will work.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
The combination also changed the community's internal balance by allowing some bacterial species to flourish while others declined.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 17, 2026
SpaceX has paved the way for the space industry to flourish, and its initial public offering drove investment to new heights.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026
Towards the end of the night, just before a closer with the Faces’ “Ooh La La,” Murray brought out a one-of-a-kind instrument for a big flourish.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2026
“Silence a la mort,” replied Laurie, with a melodramatic flourish, as he went away.
From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
Likewise, Paris Fashion Week isn’t known to feature designers whose collections can be worn off the rack, instead showcasing works of great sartorial ambition, with severe silhouettes and playful flourishes alike.
From Salon ● Jun. 29, 2026
“I’m invincible as grief,” she sings on the opening title track, a steadily building 8½-minute epic filled with improvisational flourishes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026
In the mango-growing heartland of Tando Allahyar, Mohammad Shakeel manages orchards that grow the golden-yellow Sindhri variety, named after the province where it flourishes and famous for its rich flavour and juicy pulp.
From Barron's ● Jun. 21, 2026
The mise en scène is sumptuously prepared with flourishes of rococo drollery.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2026
Being in Berkeley, home to many fine restaurants, I felt compelled to add a few over-the-top menu flourishes: The last item was one of Angelo’s homemade wines.
From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan
France and Morocco moved on Thursday to strengthen a renewed partnership that has flourished over the past two years, with French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu hailing "exceptionally positive" ties in Rabat.
From Barron's ● Jul. 16, 2026
However, Pegula’s tennis career flourished outside of her hometown of Buffalo.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
The marine animals that flourished afterward were generally much more active.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026
Powerful and with exceptional recovery pace, Cordoba has flourished since Philippe Clement was appointed as Norwich head coach in November.
From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026
He’d flourished in his new environment, adapting in every way except one: No matter how hard he tried, he simply could not get used to the weather.
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
And this is a major part of why the centre is flourishing, she believes.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
The only real question is whether that transformation is imposed on us for the benefit of a tiny ownership class, or created in partnership with us, as a genuine expansion of shared human flourishing.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026
Instead of flourishing, people become abstractions within systems optimized for performance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026
The Army and Navy Academy in Carlsbad is still flourishing at 116 years old.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2026
Like the cathedral, the school is still there and still flourishing.
From "Boy: Tales of a Childhood" by Roald Dahl
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.
