thrive
Americanverb (used without object)
verb phrase
verb
-
to grow strongly and vigorously
-
to do well; prosper
Usage
What does thrive mean? To thrive is to grow and develop strongly. This sense of the word can be applied to people as well as other living things, including animals and plants. Thrive can also mean to be successful, to be fulfilled, or to develop successfully. Both senses of thrive are often discussed alongside the specific conditions, environment, or situation that allow or help someone or something to thrive. For example, babies thrive in loving homes with the proper nutrition and care. Wild animals tend to thrive when their natural habitat is preserved. Plants thrive when they receive the right amount of sunlight and water. A person might begin to thrive in their career when they work at a place where their talents are appreciated and they’re given the freedom to try new things. The adjective thriving can be used to describe someone or something that is developing successfully or that is being successful. Example: Being around other creative people really helps my writing thrive.
Synonym Usage
See succeed.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
thrivesimple
-
thrivessimple
-
have thrivedperfect
-
have thrivenperfect
-
has thrivedperfect
-
has thrivenperfect
-
am thrivingprogressive
-
are thrivingprogressive
-
is thrivingprogressive
-
have been thrivingperfect progressive
-
has been thrivingperfect progressive
Past
-
thrivedsimple
-
throvesimple
-
had thrivedperfect
-
had thrivenperfect
-
was thrivingprogressive
-
were thrivingprogressive
-
had been thrivingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of thrive
First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English thriven, from Old Norse thrīfast “to thrive,” reflexive of thrīfa “to grasp”
Explanation
To thrive is to do well or flourish. If your new cookie delivery business thrives, you'll be rolling in dough — not literally, of course. The verb thrive means to flourish or grow vigorously, and it can be applied to something like a business or to the health of someone or something. Plants can thrive in a greenhouse, and children can thrive if they eat well and exercise. To thrive on or in something can also be used more figuratively — people can thrive on music, listening to their favorite songs all day and others can thrive on art, visiting their favorite galleries and museums.
Vocabulary lists containing thrive
List 3
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Seedfolks
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Balcony Scene from "Romeo and Juliet"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Most are part of a healthy ecosystem, but a smaller group can thrive below the gumline, inflame the gums and drive diseases such as gingivitis and periodontitis.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
Credit unions, another kind of membership-based financial institution, also thrive in the state.
From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2026
Dengue is most commonly found in tropical and sub-tropical climates worldwide, where warm temperatures and high humidity allow the Aedes mosquitoes to thrive.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
"We strongly support the Commonwealth Games and want to see it thrive," she said.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
Why does the spider mite appear to thrive on insecticides?
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
Weger thrives on “kinetic energy,” be it color, texture or a pair of bedazzled Italian loafers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
Stacks of books, tables littered with essays and commentaries, piles of Jewish magazines—these Orthodox homes form one of the few demographics where the printed word still thrives.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026
As a facultative anaerobic bacterium, it thrives in both oxygen rich and oxygen poor environments, allowing it to multiply inside the oxygen deprived regions commonly found within tumors.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 10, 2026
A man who thrives on proving the doubters and the critics wrong.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
This baby thrives on her Nana's magic touch.
From "How It Went Down" by Kekla Magoon
But Purohit took the letter to heart and moved her mom in, watching with relief as she thrived under Silverado’s specialized and attentive care.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
He sometimes rapped his jokes, thrived at improvising and roasted celebrities with sharp punches, leaving them in splits.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
She said her business has thrived because she knows “how to turn a pivot into a pirouette,” knows how to manage people and relationships, and has deep industry knowledge and connections.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026
After the family moved to Oak Ridge, Tenn., he thrived in school and skipped more grades, allowing him to graduate from high school at 15.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
But the problems had fallen away, the village had thrived, and Jonas had relinquished leadership to others so that he could take up an unburdened life with his family.
From "Son" by Lois Lowry
Most of what we could call our charismatic megaflora was hauled in here from elsewhere, and it throve.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2021
Japan’s economy wilted while Germany’s throve, adding several hundred thousand clean-energy jobs—part of the energy transition’s net macroeconomic benefit.
From Forbes ● Jun. 28, 2014
It’s a reminder, however, that even in the most horrific of circumstances, something remarkable more than survived; it throve and grew and eventually reached around the Earth.
From Salon ● Dec. 26, 2013
When freed of ticks and internal parasites, Wright's eight Xolos throve and multiplied.
From Time Magazine Archive
However feeble its efforts might be, they were for the sake of the nature, not of the picture, and therefore, having this germ of true life, it grew and throve.
From Modern Painters. Vol. III (of V) Containing Part IV. Of Many Things by Ruskin, John
In England, gorillas have recently lived and thriven amazingly because the keepers now put plate glass between them and the staring crowds.
From Time Magazine Archive
They seem not to have thriven on city air.”
From In Wild Rose Time by Douglas, Amanda M.
Fishing is always in reach, and of late years golf has thriven apace.
From Climbing in The British Isles, Vol. II Wales and Ireland by Hart, H. C.
Amidst that great household, where the thriftless habits of the master had descended to the servants, and rendered all reckless and wasteful alike, Darby had thriven and grown almost rich.
From Barrington Volume I (of II) by Lever, Charles James
Honour and loyalty would have thriven without the chivalrous poets, as they had thriven before them in every nation on earth.
From Medieval English Literature Home University of Modern Knowledge #43 by Ker, W. P. (William Paton)
Meanwhile, the expensive buffets in town are thriving, a reflection of the city’s high-end tilt.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Judith Jacobs, the farm's owner, said the owlets were thriving and had lifted spirits after the farm was the target of six suspected arson attacks this summer.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
With our lawsuit, we’re fighting for a free and fair market and a thriving film and television industry that serves creatives and audiences alike.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
Buddhism-themed tourism is thriving and tens of thousands of locals and foreigners sign up every year for "temple stay" retreats where they eat simple monastic food, do chores and meditate.
From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 2026
It functioned in this way until 1960, when it was torn down to make room for new construction in a thriving new Germany.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
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.
