blossom

play

noun blos·som \ ˈblä-səm \

Definition of blossom

1 a :the flower of a seed plant

apple blossoms

; also :the mass of such flowers on a single plant

b :the state of bearing flowers

2 :a peak period or stage of development

—

blossomy

play \-sə-mē\ adjective

See blossom defined for English-language learners

See blossom defined for kids

Examples of blossom in a Sentence

Her hair smelled of apple blossoms.
in the full blossom of her career as a writer

Recent Examples of blossom from the Web

Just as fragrant blossoms attract bees, this Bronx public garden hopes to lure lots of little human visitors with two days of sweet activities.

— laurel graeber, New York Times, "Events for Children in NYC This Week," 17 Aug. 2017
In my apartment, the radiators clang and weep all winter long. Mold blossoms through the bathroom tiles.

— jeremiah moss, Longreads, "Mourning the Low-Rent, Weirdo-Filled East Village of Old," 24 July 2017
For the past two weeks, the Wappels have been hosting wagons of honeybee hives parked next to their fields to assure all of delicate yellow blossoms of the cucumber plants get the pollination attention needed for pickles to be produced.

— philip potempa, Post-Tribune, "Here's the 'buzz' about 'Harvest Edition' Farm cooking show," 21 July 2017
There's even commercially available kudzu jelly made from the purple blossoms that its makers swear tastes like grape jelly.

— dennis pillion | dpillion@al.com, AL.com, "What do kudzu and coal have in common: 17 nuggets about the South's most invasive plant," 19 July 2017
Text the cherry blossom emoji , for instance, and you will be treated to a 2007 photograph by the Japanese artist HiroyoKaneko, which shows a group of people lounging under a cherry blossom tree.

— brigit katz, Smithsonian, "Text an Emoji and the SFMOMA Will Respond with a Picture of Art," 17 July 2017
Yu Garden Your fantasy of old China: five acres of pavilions, koi ponds, plum blossoms, rockeries, and dragon walls.

— klara glowczewska, Town & Country, "Why Now Is the Time to Visit China," 14 July 2017
The funnier and ultimately endearing bond blossoms between Nanjiani and his comatose girlfriend’s blunt-speaking dad, Terry, played by Ray Romano, the co-creator and star of, among other things, Everybody Loves Raymond.

— zach schonfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, "'The Big Sick': Kumail Nanjiani and Ray Romano on Playing Future In-Laws and Bombing Live," 14 July 2017
Necklace and earrings: JHN turquoise squash blossom set, $2,500, The Gypsy Wagon.

— star-telegram, "Dress for the Fest: Festival fads include bold accessories, bright colors, floral patterns," 5 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'blossom.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of blossom

Middle English blosme, from Old English blōstm; akin to Old English blōwan

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

blossom Synonyms

Other Botany Terms

annual, burgeon, chloroplast, nomenclature, succulent, sylvan, xylem

blossom

verb

Definition of blossom

intransitive verb

1 :bloom

2 a :to come into one's own :develop

a blossoming talent

b :to become evident

c :to make an appearance

See blossom defined for English-language learners

Examples of blossom in a Sentence

Their friendship blossomed into romance.
the fruit tree seemed to blossom overnight once the warm spring weather arrived

Recent Examples of blossom from the Web

Now that Bannon is gone from his post as chief strategist, a debate is blossoming over the White House’s claim to populist credentials.

— theodore kupfer, National Review, "Stock-Market Populism," 22 Aug. 2017
PAUL, Minn. — David and Elizabeth Weinlick’s life together began like a reality TV show, blossomed into two decades out of a romance novel, and now seems destined to end in tragedy.

— Washington Post, "Couple’s arranged marriage turned into 19-year ‘love story’," 16 Aug. 2017
Among other things, this meant that more and more methods of memory storage would blossomed into existence.

— david grossman, Popular Mechanics, "In the 90s Your Spare VHS Could Be a Backup Hard Drive," 14 Aug. 2017
Alongside friends and fellow WWE superstars Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods, Big E truly blossomed as a personality in the entertaining ensemble The New Day.

— jim varsallone, miamiherald, "Homecoming for Big E: WWE SmackDown coming to Miami, Tampa," 12 Aug. 2017
His interest in the Seventh Art blossomed into a passion in the 1960s with the coming of the French New Wave.

— tom sancton, vanityfair.com, "These Thousand-Dollar Toys Are Not Just for Kids," 8 Aug. 2017
This weekend is ultra-romantic, and love could blossom with a friend or an acquaintance from your neighborhood.

— aurora tower, Cosmopolitan, "Your Horoscope for the Week of August 7," 6 Aug. 2017
Romance blossomed between the two and Twain married Lange in 1993.

— samantha drake, Country Living, "Shania Twain's Greatest Heartbreak Fueled Her New Album," 2 Aug. 2017
Some 140 million years ago, when dinosaurs ruled the Earth, the ancestor of all flowering plants likely blossomed.

— ben panko, Smithsonian, "What Did the Ancestor of All Flowers Look Like?," 2 Aug. 2017

First Known Use of blossom

before 12th century

blossom Synonyms

Synonyms

bloom, blow, burgeon (also bourgeon), effloresce, flower, unfold

Related Words

leaf, leave; bud; open

Near Antonyms

dry up, fade, shrivel, wilt, wither; die, drop, expire, perish

Other Botany Terms

annual, burgeon, chloroplast, nomenclature, succulent, sylvan, xylem

BLOSSOM Defined for English Language Learners

blossom

play

noun

Definition of blossom for English Language Learners

: a flower especially of a fruit tree

blossom

verb

Definition of blossom for English Language Learners

: to produce flowers
: to change, grow, and develop fully

BLOSSOM Defined for Kids

blossom

play

noun blos·som \ ˈblä-səm \

Definition of blossom for Students

1 :¹flower 1

cherry blossoms

2 :¹bloom 2

The tree is in full blossom.

blossom

verb

Definition of blossom for Students

blossomed; blossoming

1 :²bloom 1

2 :to appear, change, grow, or develop The town blossomed into a city.

Learn More about blossom

See words that rhyme with blossom Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for blossom Spanish Central: Translation of blossom Nglish: Translation of blossom for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of blossom for Arabic speakers

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blossom

Definition of blossom

blossomy

From the M-W Editors

Examples of blossom in a Sentence

Recent Examples of blossom from the Web

Origin and Etymology of blossom

blossom Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Other Botany Terms

blossom

Definition of blossom

Examples of blossom in a Sentence

Recent Examples of blossom from the Web

First Known Use of blossom

blossom Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Other Botany Terms

BLOSSOM Defined for English Language Learners

blossom

Definition of blossom for English Language Learners

blossom

Definition of blossom for English Language Learners

BLOSSOM Defined for Kids

blossom

Definition of blossom for Students

blossom

Definition of blossom for Students

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