burgeon

Also bour·geon

[bur-juhn]

verb (used without object)

1. to grow or develop quickly; flourish.

   The town burgeoned into a city. He burgeoned into a fine actor.

   Synonyms: thrive, mushroom, blossom, bloom

2. to be brimming or filled to bursting; abound (usually followed by with).

   All the new students are burgeoning with energy and potential. The kitchen drawers were burgeoning with tea towels.

3. to begin to grow, as a bud; put forth buds, shoots, etc., as a plant (often followed byout, forth ).

verb (used with object)

1. to put forth, as buds.

noun

1. a bud; sprout.

burgeon

/ ˈbɜːdʒən /

verb

1. (of a plant) to sprout (buds)

2. (intr; often foll by forth or out) to develop or grow rapidly; flourish

noun

1. a bud of a plant

Usage

The two senses of burgeon, “to bud” ( The maples are burgeoning ) and “to grow or flourish” ( The suburbs around the city have been burgeoning under the impact of commercial growth ), date from the 14th century. Today the sense “to grow or flourish” is the more common. Occasionally, objections are raised to the use of this sense, perhaps because of its popularity in journalistic writing.

Word History and Origins

Origin of burgeon¹

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English noun burjon, burion “shoot, bud,” from Anglo-French burjun, burg(e)on; Old French burjon, from unattested Vulgar Latin burriōne(m), accusative of unattested burriō, derivative of Late Latin burra “wool, fluff“ ( bourrée, bureau ), presumably from the down covering certain buds; verb derivative of the noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of burgeon¹

C13: from Old French burjon , perhaps ultimately from Late Latin burra shaggy cloth; from the downiness of certain buds

Example Sentences

These stocks raged for much of the year, as breakneck spending in the burgeoning sector powered the overall economy.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Shares in Oracle have tumbled 40% since early September, lopping nearly $360 billion from its market value, since the company unveiled a huge jump in projected revenue from its burgeoning AI business.

Read more on Barron's

It comes amid fears in Silicon Valley and beyond of a bubble as the value of AI tech companies has soared in recent months and companies spend big on the burgeoning industry.

Read more on BBC

Spearheading the movement is Class Action, a burgeoning coalition of students, academics and alumni.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

In recent months though, LeCun’s once burgeoning AI division has faced job cuts and fewer resources, and has become less prestigious internally, according to current and former employees.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• prosper 
• snowball 
• sprout