flourish

American  

[flur-ish, fluhr-] / ˈflɜr ɪʃ, ˈflʌr- /

verb (used without object)

1. to be in a vigorous state; thrive.

   a period in which art flourished.

   Synonyms:

   increase, grow

   Antonyms:

   decline, fade

2. to be in its or in one's prime; be at the height of fame, excellence, influence, etc.

3. to be successful; prosper.

4. to grow luxuriantly, or thrive in growth, as a plant.

5. to make dramatic, sweeping gestures.

   Flourish more when you act out the king's great death scene.

6. to add embellishments and ornamental lines to writing, letters, etc.

7. to sound a trumpet call or fanfare.

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verb (used with object)

1. to brandish dramatically; gesticulate with.

   a conductor flourishing his baton for the crescendo.

2. to decorate or embellish (writing, a page of script, etc.) with sweeping or fanciful curves or lines.

   Synonyms:

   ornament

noun

1. an act or instance of brandishing.

2. an ostentatious display.

3. a decoration or embellishment, especially in writing.

   He added a few flourishes to his signature.

   Synonyms:

   adornment, ornament

4. Rhetoric. a parade of fine language; an expression used merely for effect.

5. a trumpet call or fanfare.

6. a condition or period of thriving.

   in full flourish.

flourish British  

/ ˈflʌrɪʃ /

verb

1. (intr) to thrive; prosper

2. (intr) to be at the peak of condition

3. (intr) to be healthy

   plants flourish in the light

4. to wave or cause to wave in the air with sweeping strokes

5. to display or make a display

6. to play (a fanfare, etc) on a musical instrument

7. (intr) to embellish writing, characters, etc, with ornamental strokes

8. to add decorations or embellishments to (speech or writing)

9. (intr) an obsolete word for blossom

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noun

1. the act of waving or brandishing

2. a showy gesture

   he entered with a flourish

3. an ornamental embellishment in writing

4. a display of ornamental language or speech

5. a grandiose passage of music

6. an ostentatious display or parade

7. obsolete

   1. the state of flourishing

   2. the state of flowering

Related Words

See succeed.

Other Word Forms

• flourisher noun
• outflourish verb (used with object)

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

Example Sentences

Their raft bumped against the shore and Gingersnipes collapsed with a dramatic flourish.

From Literature

“All the conveyor belts are broken,” said Suzy Welch, a management professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business, at a recent symposium on purpose and flourishing.

From The Wall Street Journal

As her husband oversaw the country’s economic collapse, Flores’s family patronage system flourished.

From The Wall Street Journal

No wonder venture firm Andreessen Horowitz recently raised $15 billion to invest in companies “that generate human flourishing: biology, health, defense, public safety, education, and entertainment.”

From MarketWatch

Philadelphia Fed President Anna Paulson said monetary policy credibility is key for both lowering inflation and creating conditions that allow the economy to flourish.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• bloom
• blossom
• boom
• develop
• do well
• expand
• multiply
• succeed
• thrive