flourish

1 of 2

verb

flour·​ish ˈflər-ish 

ˈflə-rish

flourished; flourishing; flourishes

intransitive verb

1

: to grow luxuriantly : thrive

2

a

: to achieve success : prosper

a flourishing business

b

: to be in a state of activity or production

flourished around 1850

c

: to reach a height of development or influence

The company flourished with record profits under the new owner.

3

: to make bold and sweeping gestures

transitive verb

: to wield with dramatic gestures : brandish

Dressed as a pirate, he entered the stage flourishing his sword.

flourisher noun

flourish

2 of 2

noun

1

: an act or instance of brandishing or waving

2

a

: a florid bit of speech or writing

rhetorical flourishes

b

: an ornamental stroke in writing or printing

c

: a decorative or finishing detail

a house with clever little flourishes

3

: fanfare

4

a

: a period of thriving

b

: a luxuriant growth or profusion

a flourish of white hair

a springtime flourish of color

5

: showiness in the doing of something

opened the door with a flourish

6

: a sudden burst

a flourish of activity

Synonyms

Verb

• burgeon
• bourgeon
• prosper
• thrive

Choose the Right Synonym for flourish

swing, wave, flourish, brandish, thrash mean to wield or cause to move to and fro or up and down.

swing implies regular or uniform movement.

swing the rope back and forth

wave usually implies smooth or continuous motion.

waving the flag

flourish suggests vigorous, ostentatious, graceful movement.

flourished the winning lottery ticket

brandish implies threatening or menacing motion.

brandishing a knife

thrash suggests vigorous, abrupt, violent movement.

an infant thrashing his arms about

Examples of flourish in a Sentence

Verb

plants and animals that flourished here thousands of years ago

Regional markets have flourished in recent years.

a decorative style that flourished in the 1920s

Dressed as a pirate, he entered the stage flourishing his sword.

Noun

the floral flourishes in the living room

a house with many clever little flourishes

Her writing style is simple and clear, without unnecessary flourishes.

Dinner was served with a flourish.

He waved his sword with a flourish.

She opened the door with a flourish.

With a flourish of her pen, she signed the bill into law.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

After the Berlin Wall came down, both notions flourished. —A. Wess Mitchell, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025

McIlroy’s parents, Gerry and Rosie, went to great lengths to ensure that McIlroy could fulfill his full potential as a golfer, as Heaven paid tribute to their dedication for providing him with an opportunity to flourish. —Ben Morse and Patrick Snell, CNN Money, 19 Apr. 2025

Noun

When companies create opportunities for their employees to work on campaigns with real impact, retention goes up, creativity flourishes, and clients notice. —Cathy Applefeld Olson, Forbes.com, 23 Apr. 2025

Another notable visual flourish: classic LED indicators for things like power and wireless. —PC Magazine, 19 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English florisshen "to put forth flowers, bloom, grow luxuriantly, prosper, brandish (a weapon)," borrowed from Anglo-French floriss-, stem of florir, flurir "to bloom, grow abundantly, thrive," going back to Vulgar Latin *flōrīre, restructuring of Latin flōrēscere "to begin to flower, increase in vigor," inchoative derivative of flōrēre "to bloom, prosper, be at the peak of one's powers," stative verbal derivative of flōr-, flōs flower entry 1

Noun

derivative of flourish entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

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

Noun

circa 1552, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for flourish

• nourish

Kids Definition

flourish

1 of 2 verb

flour·​ish ˈflər-ish 

ˈflə-rish

1

: to grow well : thrive

2

a

: prosper sense 1, succeed

b

: to be active

flourished around 1850

3

: to make bold sweeping gestures

4

: to shake or wave around

flourish a sword

flourish

2 of 2 noun

1

: a fancy bit of decoration added to something (as handwriting)

2

: a sweeping motion

3

: fanfare

4

: a period of thriving

5

: a sudden burst

a flourish of activity

Etymology

Verb

Middle English florisshen "to flourish, thrive," from early French floriss-, florir (same meaning), derived from Latin florēre "to blossom, flourish," from flor-, flos "a flower, blossom" — related to florid, flour, flower