flower

noun

flow·er | \ ˈflau̇(-ə)r

Definition of flower

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : the specialized part of an angiospermous plant that occurs singly or in clusters, possesses whorls of often colorful petals or sepals, and bears the reproductive structures (such as stamens or pistils) involved in the development of seeds and fruit : blossom

b : a cluster of small flowers growing closely together that resembles and is often viewed as a single flower : inflorescence a hydrangea flower

c : a plant grown or valued for its flowers planted flowers in the front yard

d : a cut stem of a plant with its flower a bouquet of flowers

e : bloom entry 2 sense 1b lilacs in full flower

2a : the best part or example the flower of our youth

b : the finest most vigorous period wasted the flower of their lives

c : a state of blooming or flourishing in full flower

3 flowers plural : a finely divided powder produced especially by condensation or sublimation flowers of sulfur

flower

verb

flowered; flowering; flowers

Definition of flower (Entry 2 of 2)

intransitive verb

1a : develop flowered into young womanhood

b : flourish sense 2

2 : to produce flowers : blossom

transitive verb

1 : to cause to bear flowers

2 : to decorate with flowers or floral designs

Other Words from flower Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about flower

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Other Words from flower

Noun

flowered \ ˈflau̇(-ə)rd

\ adjective

flowerful \ ˈflau̇(-ə)r-fəl

\ adjective

flowerless \ ˈflau̇(-ə)r-ləs

\ adjective

flowerlike \ ˈflau̇(-ə)r-ˌlīk

\ adjective

Verb

flowerer \ ˈflau̇(-ə)r-ər

\ noun

Synonyms for flower

Synonyms: Noun

bloom, blossom

Synonyms: Verb

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

Examples of flower in a Sentence

Noun

We planted flowers in the garden. He sent her a bouquet of flowers. He wore a single flower in his lapel.

Verb

This tree flowers in early spring. The plant will flower every other year. His genius flowered at the university. a political movement that began to flower during the 1960s

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Pluckiness is what distinguished designers’ use of flowers for Fall, as petals and stems were built out from base fabrics with embroidery, appliqué, and attached corsages, notably at Prada. — Laird Borrelli-persson, Vogue, "19 Alternative Bouquets for Mother’s Day Gifting, Plucked From the Fall Shows," 11 May 2019 Action is everywhere: collectors dipping into booths like bees into flowers, gallery staff running for fresh caffeine and dealers pacing while waiting for decisions to be made. — Kyle Chayka, WSJ, "At Art Fairs, the Chairs Are Just as Considered as the Art," 7 May 2019 Highlights of the launch include a black strappy floral bra that's covered in flowers, a black mesh bodysuit, a lime bra that's more than suited for the neon trend, and a classic ivory bra. — Lauren Rearick, Teen Vogue, "Playful Promises and Gabi Fresh Created Another Size-Inclusive Lingerie Line," 18 Apr. 2019 Thanks to specimens supplied by the Harvard Herbarium, the interdisciplinary team was able to code the fragrance genes of the extinct flowers, fill in genome gaps with surviving plant DNA, and inject the code into yeast to fabricate scent microbes. — Jill Kiedaisch, Popular Mechanics, "You Can Now Smell a Flower That Went Extinct a Century Ago," 16 Apr. 2019 The space is a fantasy of paper flowers, flowy dresses and pastel opal earrings. — Will Kahn, Town & Country, "Irene Neuwirth Partners With Capitol for New Boutique in Brentwood," 2 Apr. 2019 Look for flowers to emerge in midspring, and for huge amounts of ripe berries to show up in the early fall. — Colin Mccrate, The Seattle Times, "Our native evergreen huckleberry brings dynamic color and oodles of fruit to your edible shade garden," 20 Feb. 2019 Place individual blooms in a vase and bend and twist stems outward to mimic the movement of live flowers, which face the sun. — The Editors, Good Housekeeping, "7 of the Best-Looking Fake Plants You Can Buy," 28 Dec. 2018 The bloom of the rare flower, Amorphophallus titanum (commonly known as the corpse flower) is set to happen between Thursday, July 12 and Saturday, July 14. — Wzzm-tv (grand Rapids), Detroit Free Press, "Rare corpse flower will bloom soon in Grand Rapids," 11 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Peak bloom takes place when 70 percent of the trees in a certain area are flowering all at once—the trees in Washington D.C. just hit their peak bloom period this week, according to the Washington Post. — Maggie Maloney, Town & Country, "How Cherry Blossoms Became the Most Celebrated Event of the Spring," 2 Apr. 2019 The lake cores contain less forest pollen and more from grasses and flowering meadow plants, mixed with the spores of fungi that thrive on cattle dung. — Kiona N. Smith, Ars Technica, "Supposedly pristine South American forest had been pre-Columbian farmland," 17 July 2018 The red and green and yellow lights flowered in the moist fog. — Aaron Gilbreath, Longreads, "Five Early Lessons in Parenting," 5 May 2018 Some varieties of raspberries require as many as 800 hours of chill before flowering and producing fruit. — Margaret Lauterbach, idahostatesman, "Despite mild winter, Treasure Valley fruit trees likely are doing OK | Idaho Statesman," 21 Feb. 2018 Another surprise was the discovery of flowering vegetation that had taken root on the volcanic cone and in the mud of the isthmus connecting HTHH to its neighbor. — Jill Kiedaisch, Popular Mechanics, "A Young Island in the South Pacific Oozes Mysteries and Mud," 5 Feb. 2019 This slows growth and promotes flowering on your mature healthy plants. — Tom Maccubbin, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Summer heat, rain not kind to geraniums," 30 June 2018 Interested in research more than treatment, Cajal turned to histology, or cell theory, a discipline that had flowered since the introduction of powerful microscopes in the 1830s. — Cate Mcquaid, BostonGlobe.com, "A different sort of scan in ‘The Beautiful Brain’," 6 June 2018 And the chicken has just enough of the herb’s resinous flavor to remind you of walking past a planter of flowering rosemary in some fog-addled corner of the city and running your fingers through the spiky green tresses. — Jonathan Kauffman, San Francisco Chronicle, "Fernay McPherson and the movement that found success away from her native Fillmore," 11 May 2018

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