Herman Wouk
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Burgeon arrived in Middle English as burjonen, a borrowing from the Anglo-French verb burjuner, meaning "to bud or sprout." Burgeon is often used figuratively, as when writer Ta-Nehisi Coates used it in his 2008 memoir The Beautiful Struggle: "… I was in the burgeoning class of kids whose families made too much for financial aid but not enough to make tuition payments anything less than a war." Usage commentators have objected to the use of burgeon to mean "to flourish" or "to grow rapidly," insisting that any figurative use should stay true to the word's earliest literal meaning and distinguish budding or sprouting from subsequent growing. But the sense of burgeon that indicates growing or expanding and prospering (as in "the burgeoning music scene" or "the burgeoning international market") has been in established use for decades and is, in fact, the most common use of burgeon today.
Examples of burgeon in a Sentence
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Feb. 2026
The company is additionally interested in getting involved in Saudi Arabia‘s burgeoning film industry, and the wider MENA ecosystem.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 25 Feb. 2026
For EssilorLuxottica, the burgeoning demand for AI glasses comes with a downside, in the form of lower profit margins due to costs such as factory expansions and more-expensive electronic components.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 24 Feb. 2026
Despite the recent influx of bars and restaurants in burgeoning downtown Olathe , there aren’t many upscale drink spots nearby.
—Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 24 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for burgeon
Cite this Entry
“Burgeon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/burgeon. Accessed 1 Mar. 2026.
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burgeon
verb
