flourish
Americanverb (used without object)
-
flourishes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
flourished,
past participle, past
-
flourishing
present participle
-
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.
-
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)
-
flourishes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
flourished,
past participle, past
-
flourishing
present participle
-
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.
- Synonyms:
- ornament
noun
-
flourishes
plural
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an act or instance of brandishing.
-
an ostentatious display.
-
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)
-
(intr) an obsolete word for blossom
noun
-
the act of waving or brandishing
-
a showy gesture
he entered with a flourish
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an ornamental embellishment in writing
-
a display of ornamental language or speech
-
a grandiose passage of music
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an ostentatious display or parade
-
obsolete
-
the state of flourishing
-
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
-
have flourishedperfect
-
has flourishedperfect
-
am flourishingprogressive
-
are flourishingprogressive
-
is flourishingprogressive
-
have been flourishingperfect progressive
-
has been flourishingperfect progressive
Past
-
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:
With a theatrical flourish, Vance descended from the steps of Air Force Two, the vice presidential jet, and received a rapturous reception as he entered the event in a flag-draped airport hangar.
From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2026
In these patients, potentially harmful species such as Enterococcus faecium can flourish after much of the surrounding microbial ecosystem has been "destroyed."
From Science Daily ● Oct. 7, 2026
Back on stage at Mount Temple, Bono paid tribute to his alma matter for allowing the band to flourish.
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026
The theatrical flourish seems jarring, but so too is the historic moment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
Muhammad stands up, pulls out my chair for me with a flourish and then Saint Sarah’s before sitting down with a smile.
From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali
Institutions must examine the cultures and power structures in which hazing flourishes, including secrecy, expectations of unquestioned loyalty, power imbalances and norms that discourage intervention and reporting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
His trademark flourishes included walls of windows and built-in furniture.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026
Johnson has apparently instituted a number of USA-style flourishes into the program.
From Slate ● Aug. 28, 2026
Surrounded by the gold-leaf flourishes that now line the walls of the Oval Office, they tell him they’re headed out on the great American road trip, and he looks like he couldn’t care less.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
“Will do,” it read in his own dear, sweet, familiar cursive, with its poetic loops and flourishes.
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
In recent years, the used-car space flourished as new vehicle prices crossed $50,000 on average.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
Malen is not the only former Premier League player to have flourished in Italy.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
"Stromatolites could be more than 'just' a cradle of life where early microbial life flourished," says A/Prof. Burns.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 3, 2026
During the wet spring, she said, undergrowth flourished, leaving an enormous layer of tinder once heat waves took hold in June.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026
On his refusal to do this had his life depended, and John’s secret heart had flourished in its wickedness until the day his sin first overtook him.
From "Go Tell It on the Mountain" by James Baldwin
Indeed, the words "HELP" and "SOS" have been scratched out in the weeds now flourishing on the exposed lake bed.
From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026
Her new parternship with 20-year-old Lexi Potter is flourishing and has allowed Walsh to get further up the pitch and play with more freedom.
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026
For his 25th reunion, he wrote in a class update that he had nearly died of kidney failure but that his company was flourishing, making more than 30% a year before fees and expenses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
Since leaving the administration last summer, Parker has delivered a series of lectures at Christian conferences encouraging believers to “redeem the technology for the good and flourishing of society.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026
One reason they did so well in battle is precisely because the slave trade was flourishing.
From "Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science" by Marc Aronson
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.
