bloom

[ bloom ]

/ blum /

Save This Word!

noun

the flower of a plant.

flowers collectively: the bloom of the cherry tree.

state of having the buds opened: The gardens are all in bloom.

a flourishing, healthy condition; the time or period of greatest beauty, artistry, etc.: the bloom of youth; the bloom of Romanticism.

a glow or flush on the cheek indicative of youth and health: a serious illness that destroyed her bloom.

the glossy, healthy appearance of the coat of an animal.

a moist, lustrous appearance indicating freshness in fish.

redness or a fresh appearance on the surface of meat.

Botany. a whitish powdery deposit or coating, as on the surface of certain fruits and leaves: the bloom of the grape.

any similar surface coating or appearance: the bloom of newly minted coins.

any of certain minerals occurring as powdery coatings on rocks or other minerals.

Also called chill . a clouded or dull area on a varnished or lacquered surface.

Also called algal bloom, water bloom . the sudden development of conspicuous masses of organisms, as algae, on the surface of a body of water.

Television. image spread produced by excessive exposure of highlights in a television image.

verb (used without object)

to produce or yield blossoms.

to flourish or thrive: a recurrent fad that blooms from time to time.

to be in or achieve a state of healthful beauty and vigor: a sickly child who suddenly bloomed; a small talent that somehow bloomed into major artistry.

to glow with warmth or with a warm color.

verb (used with object)

to cause to yield blossoms.

to make bloom or cause to flourish: a happiness that blooms the cheek.

to invest with luster or beauty: an industry that blooms one's talents.

to cause a cloudy area on (something shiny); dampen; chill: Their breath bloomed the frosty pane.

Optics. to coat (a lens) with an antireflection material.

OTHER WORDS FOR bloom

1 blossom.

3 efflorescence.

4 freshness, glow, flush; vigor, prime.

15 effloresce.

See synonyms for bloom on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about bloom

take the bloom off, to remove the enjoyment or ultimate satisfaction from; dampen the enthusiasm over: The coach's illness took the bloom off the team's victory.

the bloom is off (the rose), the excitement, enjoyment, interest, etc., has ended or been dampened.

Origin of bloom

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English noun blom, blome, from Old Norse blōm, blōmi; cognate with Gothic blōma “lily,” German Blume “flower”; akin to blow³; verb derivative of the noun

historical usage of bloom

Bloom “flower” comes from the Proto-Indo-European root bhel-, bhol-, bhlē-, bhlō- (with still other variants) “to bloom, thrive.” Initial Proto-Indo-European bh- usually becomes b- in the Germanic languages, f- in the ancient Italic languages (Latin, Oscan, Umbrian), and ph- in Greek. Therefore the root variant bhlō- yields Latin flōs (inflectional stem flōr- ) “flower” and its derivatives flōrēre “to blossom, bloom” and flōrescere “to come into bloom,” from which English derives florescence and florescent. Flower and flour, which English borrowed from Old French, were originally only spelling variants. The root variant bhol- yields folium in Latin and phúllon in Greek, both meaning “leaf.”

OTHER WORDS FROM bloom

bloomless, adjective

Words nearby bloom

bloody-minded, bloody-nosed beetle, bloody shirt, blooey, blook, bloom, bloomed, bloomer, bloomers, bloomery, Bloomfield

Other definitions for bloom (2 of 3)

bloom²

[ bloom ]

/ blum /

Metalworking.

noun

a piece of steel, square or slightly oblong in section, reduced from an ingot to dimensions suitable for further rolling.

a large lump of iron and slag, of pasty consistency when hot, produced in a puddling furnace or bloomery and hammered into wrought iron.

verb (used with object)

to make (an ingot) into a bloom.

Origin of bloom

First recorded before 1000; from Middle English blome “squared mass of metal of aproximately standard weight,” Old English blōma “mass of iron”; perhaps akin to bloom¹

Other definitions for bloom (3 of 3)

Bloom

[ bloom ]

/ blum /

noun

Harold, 1930–2019, U.S. literary critic and teacher.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bloom in a sentence

Cyanobacterial blooms occur when still, warm water—like a pond—has so much nitrogen and phosphorus that the algae are able to breed and grow at an extremely fast rate, spreading throughout the pond.
More than 350 elephants died in Botswana, and we may finally know why|Kat Eschner|September 24, 2020|Popular-Science
It’s a condition where an overgrowth of algae, known as a bloom, removes a lot of oxygen from the water.
A dirty and growing problem: Too few toilets|Stephanie Parker|September 24, 2020|Science News For Students
“The ability to tie back to business outcomes is always going to be attractive,” Bloom added.
‘The more culture you own’: Condé Nast pursues more revenue growth with new brand-strength metric|Max Willens|September 18, 2020|Digiday
If you look closely, part of the bloom resembles an elephant’s trunk.
How a Wasteland Shrub Is Becoming the Next Big Thing in Fashion|Daniel Malloy|August 28, 2020|Ozy

Margaret Mead and Ruth Benedict were among them—and the source of the problem, as Bloom saw it.
Gender Is What You Make of It - Issue 88: Love & Sex|Charles King|August 5, 2020|Nautilus
Good news: so is this grainy TMZ footage of a Bieber/Bloom Ibiza brawl.
Solange Smacks Jay Z, Legolas Slaps Bieber, and the Biggest Celebrity Feuds of the Year|Amy Zimmerman|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
With women put in front of the public to justify staying with bad men, we see these justifications in full bloom.
Why Didn’t Camille Dump Bill Cosby?|Amanda Marcotte|December 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
About Blood Meridian, Bloom has said, “The violence is the book.”
Compliments Are Nice, but Enough With the Cormac McCarthy Comparisons|William Giraldi|October 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“She follows the war and makes it very much into her business,” noted the critic Harold Bloom.
Brecht's Mercenary Mother Courage Turns 75|Katie Baker|September 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If you've ever questioned Justin Bieber's masculinity, he was almost knocked out by ORLANDO BLOOM.
13 Celebrities Who Dissed Justin Bieber|Kevin Fallon|August 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Let the thought of self pass in, and the beauty of great action is gone, like the bloom from a soiled flower.
Pearls of Thought|Maturin M. Ballou
The late roses and white lilies were in full bloom, the latter filling the air with a sweet odor and making a lovely background.
The Cromptons|Mary J. Holmes
In many of the parks, the rhododendrons were in full bloom, and their rich masses of color wonderfully enlivened the scenery.
British Highways And Byways From A Motor Car|Thomas D. Murphy
Vases of flowers diffused their fragrance and expanded their beauty where flowers were never seen to bloom before.
Madame Roland, Makers of History|John S. C. Abbott
The day lilies were in bloom, and that meant August; it meant also that her book was written, rewritten, and ready to be copied.
Tessa Wadsworth's Discipline|Jennie M. Drinkwater

British Dictionary definitions for bloom (1 of 2)

bloom¹

/ (bluːm) /

noun

a blossom on a flowering plant; a flower

the state, time, or period when flowers open (esp in the phrases in bloom, in full bloom)

open flowers collectivelya tree covered with bloom

a healthy, vigorous, or flourishing condition; prime (esp in the phrase the bloom of youth)

youthful or healthy rosiness in the cheeks or face; glow

a fine whitish coating on the surface of fruits, leaves, etc, consisting of minute grains of a waxy substance

any coating similar in appearance, such as that on new coins

ecology a visible increase in the algal constituent of plankton, which may be seasonal or due to excessive organic pollution

Also called: chill a dull area formed on the surface of gloss paint, lacquer, or varnish

verb (mainly intr)

(of flowers) to open; come into flower

to bear flowers; blossom

to flourish or grow

to be in a healthy, glowing, or flourishing condition

(tr) physics to coat (a lens) with a thin layer of a substance, often magnesium fluoride, to eliminate surface reflection

Word Origin for bloom

C13: of Germanic origin; compare Old Norse blōm flower, Old High German bluomo, Middle Dutch bloeme; see blow ³

British Dictionary definitions for bloom (2 of 2)

bloom²

/ (bluːm) /

noun

a rectangular mass of metal obtained by rolling or forging a cast ingotSee also billet 1 (def. 2)

verb

(tr) to convert (an ingot) into a bloom by rolling or forging

Word Origin for bloom

Old English blōma lump of metal

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

bloom

OTHER WORDS FOR bloom

Idioms about bloom

Origin of bloom

historical usage of bloom

OTHER WORDS FROM bloom

Words nearby bloom

Other definitions for bloom (2 of 3)

Origin of bloom

Other definitions for bloom (3 of 3)

Words related to bloom

How to use bloom in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bloom (1 of 2)

Word Origin for bloom

British Dictionary definitions for bloom (2 of 2)

Word Origin for bloom