burgeon

verb

bur·​geon ˈbər-jən How to pronounce burgeon (audio)
variants or less commonly bourgeon
burgeoned also bourgeoned; burgeoning also bourgeoning; burgeons also bourgeons

intransitive verb

1
a
: to send forth new growth (such as buds or branches) : sprout
b
: bloom
when the flame trees and jacaranda are burgeoningAlan Carmichael
2
: to grow and expand rapidly : flourish
The market for her work has burgeoned in recent years.
tiny events which burgeon into national alarumsHerman Wouk

Did you know?

Burgeon first appeared in Middle English as burjonen—a borrowing from the Anglo-French burjuner, meaning "to bud or sprout." Burgeon is often used figuratively, as when writer P. G. Wodehouse used it in the 1946 novel Joy in the Morning: "I weighed this. It sounded promising. Hope began to burgeon." 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

The market for collectibles has burgeoned in recent years. the trout population in the stream is burgeoning now that the water is clean
Recent Examples on the Web Li is at the forefront of a growing chorus of academics, policymakers and former employees who argue the sky-high cost of working with AI models is boxing researchers out of the field, compromising independent study of the burgeoning technology. Gerrit De Vynck, Washington Post, 10 Mar. 2024 But the sport has struggled to make inroads in the United States, where Formula One has recently enjoyed burgeoning interest and popularity. Jonathan Hawkins, CNN, 9 Mar. 2024 From the quaint charm of its historic downtown to the dynamic energy of its burgeoning Arts District, Gilbert offers something for everyone. Lux Butler, The Arizona Republic, 7 Mar. 2024 Almost immediately Simpson got involved with the city’s burgeoning Civil Rights Movement and befriended Theodore Gibson, the rector of Christ Episcopal Church in Coconut Grove and one of the Black community’s leading activists at the time. C. Isaiah Smalls Ii, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2024 With firms pushing to lock down market share in a burgeoning asset class, this bifurcation among fund managers looks set to continue. Elijah Nicholson-Messmer, Fortune, 3 Mar. 2024 In a nod to the 1960s mod era and the burgeoning equal rights movement, the collection was primarily stripped of feminine tropes and leaned into masculine codes and graphic simplicity. Roxanne Robinson, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 Golden’s experiment is part of the burgeoning four-day workweek movement that’s been given extra fuel by pandemic disruptions to traditional work schedules over the last four years. John Aguilar, The Mercury News, 22 Feb. 2024 As the internet sector burgeoned, many investors, lured by tales of exponential returns, plunged into tech stocks with little regard for fundamentals or valuation metrics. Dan Irvine, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'burgeon.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English burjonen, from Anglo-French burjuner, from burjun bud, from Vulgar Latin *burrion-, burrio, from Late Latin burra fluff, shaggy cloth

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of burgeon was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near burgeon

Cite this Entry

“Burgeon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/burgeon. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

burgeon

verb
bur·​geon ˈbər-jən How to pronounce burgeon (audio)
1
a
: to put forth new growth (as buds)
2

More from Merriam-Webster on burgeon

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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