flourish

1 of 2

verb

flour·​ish ˈflər-ish How to pronounce flourish (audio)
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
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
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
Mental illness reduces social trust and behaviors that promote societal flourishing such as labor force participation and entrepreneurship. Clay Routledge, Fortune, 4 Mar. 2024 This was particularly true at Ayotzinapa, thanks to a long guerrilla tradition: multiple campesino movements had flourished in Guerrero in the sixties and seventies, and two of their leaders, Lucio Cabañas and Genaro Vázquez Rojas, had close ties to the school. Alma Guillermoprieto, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024 Its journalism flourished in competition from The Cambodia Daily, which was founded in 1993 and also heavily staffed by young Westerners. Sopheng Cheang The Associated Press, arkansasonline.com, 3 Mar. 2024 Flight seeing, air taxis, light cargo deliveries and the like will flourish. Michael Barnard, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2024 Staff at the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge, which spans the river floodplain from Wabasha, Minnesota to Rock Island, Illinois, say a combination of habitat restoration projects and the banning of the pesticide DDT are allowing eagles to flourish. Journal Sentinel, 28 Feb. 2024 The potato crop is also suffering because potatoes require lower levels of salts to flourish than what the canals are currently delivering. The Arizona Republic, 27 Feb. 2024 Since the laws were first enacted in 2021, Elon Musk purchased Twitter and made policy decisions that have allowed conservative accounts to flourish on the platform. Ann E. Marimow, Washington Post, 25 Feb. 2024 The Sacramento City Council has advanced an ambitious commercial marijuana cultivation program by finalizing local licensing fees for an anticipated 200 cannabis grow rooms expected to flourish in mostly light industrial zones in the capital city. Peter Hecht, Sacramento Bee, 21 Feb. 2024
Noun
Beyond drinking and dining, many of the spaces also offer location-specific flourishes that set them apart from each other. Jared Ranahan, Travel + Leisure, 19 Feb. 2024 Other flourishes include an American flag and map of Detroit in the 2021 F-150, an Expedition driving from the city to mountains, and more. Mark Phelan, Detroit Free Press, 11 Feb. 2024 In the master bedroom, one such flourish is an antique gold Swedish mirror. Harmeet Kaur, CNN, 6 Feb. 2024 Nothing says spring has sprung in Texas with a prettier flourish than fields full of bluebonnet blooms, and according to experts at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin, this season will not disappoint. David Montesino, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Feb. 2024 Five players were tied at 14 under with seven holes to play, but Matsuyama finished with a flourish, carding three birdies on his last four holes to get to 9 under on the day and -17 for the week. Steve Galluzzo, Los Angeles Times, 18 Feb. 2024 The bill's passage through the Senate with a flourish of GOP support was a welcome sign for Ukraine amid critical shortages on the battlefield. Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 14 Feb. 2024 The Super Bowl was a bit of a microcosm of the Chiefs' season, the team starting slow before finishing with a flourish – Mahomes throwing the game-winning touchdown to Mecole Hardman with 3 seconds on the clock to cap a 22-point barrage after halftime. USA TODAY, 12 Feb. 2024 Next up: at UCLA (Thursday) Comment: The Buffaloes could very well finish with a flourish and win the Pac-12 tournament. Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 12 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'flourish.' 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

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

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

Dictionary Entries Near flourish

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

flourish

1 of 2 verb
flour·​ish ˈflər-ish How to pronounce flourish (audio)
ˈflə-rish
1
: to grow well : thrive
2
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
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

More from Merriam-Webster on flourish

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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