flourish

[ flur-ish, fluhr- ]

/ ˈflɜr ɪʃ, ˈflʌr- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR flourish ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object)

to be in a vigorous state; thrive: a period in which art flourished.

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

to be successful; prosper.

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

to make dramatic, sweeping gestures: Flourish more when you act out the king's great death scene.

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

to sound a trumpet call or fanfare.

verb (used with object)

to brandish dramatically; gesticulate with: a conductor flourishing his baton for the crescendo.

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

noun

an act or instance of brandishing.

an ostentatious display.

a decoration or embellishment, especially in writing: He added a few flourishes to his signature.

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

a trumpet call or fanfare.

a condition or period of thriving: in full flourish.

Nearby words

flour, flour beetle, flour mill, flour mite, flour moth, flourish, flourishing, floury, flout, flow, flow breccia

Origin of flourish

1250–1300; Middle English florisshen < Middle French floriss-, long stem of florir ≪ Latin flōrēre to bloom, derivative of flōs flower

SYNONYMS FOR flourish

1 grow, increase. See succeed.

9 ornament.

12 ornament, adornment.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR flourish ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR flourish

1 fade, decline.

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Related formsflour·ish·er, nounout·flour·ish, verb (used with object)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for flourish

Her father gazes back at her happily, tips his hat, and bows with a flourish.
Knocking on Heaven's Door: True Stories of Unexplained, Uncanny Experiences at the Hour of Death|Patricia Pearson|August 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This fact was revealed with a flourish during a Life Lesson on the importance of discretion, which is a story for another day.
Quality Bud, but Like, Whoa, The Prices|Kelly Williams Brown|July 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Pretending and imaginative play also flourish, and imaginary friends are common companions to young schoolchildren.
Diagnosing Jane, Louis C.K.’s Troubled Daughter on ‘Louie’ Who Can’t Separate Dreams From Reality|Russell Saunders|May 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In 2006, he left LA with a flourish when the Tribune Co. demanded severe cuts in the newsroom and Baquet refused to make them.
Jill Abramson Fired from the Times: Was It About Money and Sexism—Or Management Style?|Lloyd Grove|May 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Despite starting with a flourish, that site has gone quiet in recent days as it undergoes a reorganization.
Guardian and WaPo Share Pulitzer: Snowden Hails Victory for “More Accountable Democracy”|David Freedlander|April 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And he began to flourish it over his head, and to press nearer and nearer.
The Gold Thread|Norman MacLeod
London, Pennsylvania, did not flourish as its founders had expected.
Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great, Volume 11 (of 14)|Elbert Hubbard
He tossed off a thimbleful of the purple wine with a flourish.
Chance in Chains|Cyril Arthur Edward Ranger Gull
If he can flourish a whip like a true ringmaster in the circus, the interest of the game will be enhanced.
Games for the Playground, Home, School and Gymnasium|Jessie H. Bancroft
But it is a noticeable fact that much that is imported or grows in Australia, seems to flourish too freely.
Forty Thousand Miles Over Land and Water|Lady (Ethel Gwendoline [Moffatt]) Vincent

British Dictionary definitions for flourish

flourish

/ (ˈflʌrɪʃ) /

verb

(intr) to thrive; prosper

(intr) to be at the peak of condition

(intr) to be healthyplants flourish in the light

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

to display or make a display

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

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

to add decorations or embellishments to (speech or writing)

(intr) an obsolete word for blossom

noun

the act of waving or brandishing

a showy gesturehe entered with a flourish

an ornamental embellishment in writing

a display of ornamental language or speech

a grandiose passage of music

an ostentatious display or parade

obsolete

the state of flourishing
the state of flowering

Derived Formsflourisher, noun

Word Origin for flourish

C13: from Old French florir, ultimately from Latin flōrēre to flower, from flōs a flower

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

Word Origin and History for flourish (1 of 2)

flourish

c.1300, "to blossom, grow," from Old French floriss-, stem of florir "blossom, flower, bloom, flourish," from Latin florere "to bloom, blossom, flower," figuratively "to flourish, be prosperous," from flos "a flower" (see flora).

Metaphoric sense of "thrive" is mid-14c. Meaning "to brandish (a weapon)" first attested late 14c. Related: Flourished; flourishing.

Word Origin and History for flourish (1 of 2)

flourish

c.1500, "a blossom," from flourish (v.). Meaning "ostentatious waving of a weapon" is from 1550s; that of "literary or rhetorical embellishment" is from c.1600.

flourish

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

noun

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Origin of flourish

Examples from the Web for flourish

British Dictionary definitions for flourish

flourish

verb

noun

Word Origin for flourish

Word Origin and History for flourish (1 of 2)

flourish

Word Origin and History for flourish (1 of 2)

flourish