flourish

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flour·ish

(flûr′ĭsh, flŭr′-)

v. flour·ished, flour·ish·ing, flour·ish·es

v.intr.

1. To grow well or luxuriantly; thrive: The crops flourished in the rich soil.

2. To do or fare well; prosper: "No village on the railroad failed to flourish" (John Kenneth Galbraith).

3. To be in a period of highest productivity, excellence, or influence: a poet who flourished in the tenth century.

4. To make bold, sweeping movements: The banner flourished in the wind.

v.tr.

To wield, wave, or exhibit dramatically.

1. A dramatic or stylish movement, as of waving or brandishing: "A few ... musicians embellish their performance with a flourish of the fingers" (Frederick D. Bennett).

2. An embellishment or ornamentation: a signature with a distinctive flourish.

3. An ostentatious act or gesture: a flourish of generosity.

4. Music A showy or ceremonious passage, such as a fanfare.

[Middle English florishen, from Old French florir, floriss-, from Vulgar Latin *flōrīre, from Latin flōrēre, to bloom, from flōs, flōr-, flower; see bhel- in Indo-European roots.]

flour′ish·er n.

Synonyms: flourish, brandish, wave
These verbs mean to swing back and forth boldly and dramatically: flourished the newly signed contract; brandish a sword; waving a baton.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

flourish

(ˈflʌrɪʃ)

1. (intr) to thrive; prosper

2. (intr) to be at the peak of condition

3. (intr) to be healthy: plants flourish in the light.

4. to wave or cause to wave in the air with sweeping strokes

5. to display or make a display

6. (Music, other) to play (a fanfare, etc) on a musical instrument

7. (Printing, Lithography & Bookbinding) (intr) to embellish writing, characters, etc, with ornamental strokes

8. to add decorations or embellishments to (speech or writing)

9. (intr) an obsolete word for blossom

10. the act of waving or brandishing

11. a showy gesture: he entered with a flourish.

12. (Printing, Lithography & Bookbinding) an ornamental embellishment in writing

13. (Rhetoric) a display of ornamental language or speech

14. (Music, other) a grandiose passage of music

15. an ostentatious display or parade

16. obsolete

a. the state of flourishing

b. the state of flowering

[C13: from Old French florir, ultimately from Latin flōrēre to flower, from flōs a flower]

ˈflourisher n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

flour•ish

(ˈflɜr ɪʃ, ˈflʌr-)

v.i.

1. to be in a vigorous state; thrive.

2. to be at the height of development, activity, influence, or fame.

3. to be successful; prosper.

4. to grow luxuriantly or thrive in growth, as a plant.

5. to make sweeping gestures.

v.t.

6. to brandish dramatically; gesticulate with.

7. an act or instance of brandishing.

8. an ostentatious or dramatic gesture or display.

9. a decoration or embellishment, esp. in writing: He added a few flourishes to his signature.

10. a florid bit of language.

11. an elaborate musical passage.

12. a condition or period of thriving: in full flourish.

[1250–1300; Middle English florisshen < Middle French floriss-, long s. of florir « Latin flōrēre]

flour′ish•er, n.

flour′ish•ing•ly, adv.

syn: See succeed.

Flourish

of strumpets: a company of prostitutes—Lipton, 1970

flourish

Past participle: flourished
Gerund: flourishing

Imperative
flourish
flourish

Present
I flourish
you flourish
he/she/it flourishes
we flourish
you flourish
they flourish

Preterite
I flourished
you flourished
he/she/it flourished
we flourished
you flourished
they flourished

Present Continuous
I am flourishing
you are flourishing
he/she/it is flourishing
we are flourishing
you are flourishing
they are flourishing

Present Perfect
I have flourished
you have flourished
he/she/it has flourished
we have flourished
you have flourished
they have flourished

Past Continuous
I was flourishing
you were flourishing
he/she/it was flourishing
we were flourishing
you were flourishing
they were flourishing

Past Perfect
I had flourished
you had flourished
he/she/it had flourished
we had flourished
you had flourished
they had flourished

Future
I will flourish
you will flourish
he/she/it will flourish
we will flourish
you will flourish
they will flourish

Future Perfect
I will have flourished
you will have flourished
he/she/it will have flourished
we will have flourished
you will have flourished
they will have flourished

Future Continuous
I will be flourishing
you will be flourishing
he/she/it will be flourishing
we will be flourishing
you will be flourishing
they will be flourishing

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been flourishing
you have been flourishing
he/she/it has been flourishing
we have been flourishing
you have been flourishing
they have been flourishing

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been flourishing
you will have been flourishing
he/she/it will have been flourishing
we will have been flourishing
you will have been flourishing
they will have been flourishing

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been flourishing
you had been flourishing
he/she/it had been flourishing
we had been flourishing
you had been flourishing
they had been flourishing

Conditional
I would flourish
you would flourish
he/she/it would flourish
we would flourish
you would flourish
they would flourish

Past Conditional
I would have flourished
you would have flourished
he/she/it would have flourished
we would have flourished
you would have flourished
they would have flourished

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Noun	1.	flourish - a showy gesture; "she entered with a great flourish" motion, gesture - the use of movements (especially of the hands) to communicate familiar or prearranged signals
	2.	flourish - an ornamental embellishment in writing embellishment - a superfluous ornament paraph - a flourish added after or under your signature (originally to protect against forgery)
	3.	flourish - a display of ornamental speech or language grandiloquence, grandiosity, magniloquence, ornateness, rhetoric - high-flown style; excessive use of verbal ornamentation; "the grandiosity of his prose"; "an excessive ornateness of language"
	4.	flourish - the act of waving brandish wafture, waving, wave - the act of signaling by a movement of the hand
	5.	flourish - (music) a short lively tune played on brass instruments; "he entered to a flourish of trumpets"; "her arrival was greeted with a rousing fanfare" tucket, fanfare music - an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner melodic line, melodic phrase, melody, tune, strain, air, line - a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence; "she was humming an air from Beethoven"
Verb	1.	flourish - grow vigorously; "The deer population in this town is thriving"; "business is booming" thrive, expand, boom revive - be brought back to life, consciousness, or strength; "Interest in ESP revived" grow - become larger, greater, or bigger; expand or gain; "The problem grew too large for me"; "Her business grew fast" luxuriate - thrive profusely or flourish extensively
	2.	flourish - make steady progress; be at the high point in one's career or reach a high point in historical significance or importance; "The new student is thriving" prosper, thrive, fly high change state, turn - undergo a transformation or a change of position or action; "We turned from Socialism to Capitalism"; "The people turned against the President when he stole the election"
	3.	flourish - move or swing back and forth; "She waved her gun" brandish, wave wigwag - send a signal by waving a flag or a light according to a certain code move, displace - cause to move or shift into a new position or place, both in a concrete and in an abstract sense; "Move those boxes into the corner, please"; "I'm moving my money to another bank"; "The director moved more responsibilities onto his new assistant"

flourish

verb

1. thrive, increase, develop, advance, progress, boom, bloom, blossom, prosper, burgeon Business soon flourished.
thrive fail, decline, fade, shrink, diminish, pine, dwindle, wane, grow less

2. succeed, do well, be successful, move ahead, get ahead, go places (informal), go great guns (slang), go up in the world On graduation he flourished as a journalist.

3. thrive, grow, develop, flower, succeed, get on, bloom, blossom, prosper, bear fruit, be vigorous, be in your prime The plant is flourishing particularly well.

4. wave, brandish, sweep, swish, display, shake, swing, wield, flutter, wag, flaunt, vaunt, twirl He flourished his glass to make the point.

noun

1. wave, sweep, brandish, swish, shaking, swing, dash, brandishing, twirling, twirl, showy gesture with a flourish of his hand

2. show, display, parade, fanfare with a flourish of church bells

3. curlicue, sweep, decoration, swirl, plume, embellishment, ornamentation He underlined his name with a showy flourish.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

flourish

verb

1. To grow rapidly and luxuriantly:

bloom, blossom, thrive.

2. To do or fare well:

boom, go, prosper, thrive.

Slang: score.

Idioms: get somewhere, go great guns, go strong.

3. To be in one's prime:

flower, shine.

Idioms: cut a figure, make a splash.

4. To wield boldly and dramatically:

brandish, sweep, wave.

Translations

تَلْويحزَخْرَفَه أو تَزْويق بالخَطنَفْخ في البوقيَزْدَهِر، يَنمويُلَوِّح بالسَّيْف

fanfárahrozitkudrlinkamávatozdobný tah

blomstrefanfarefejende bevægelsekrøllesnirkel

gedeihen Schnörkel Tusch blühen florieren

blandir florecer floreo floritura movimiento ostentoso

prospérer brandir être florissant fioriture fleurir

cifrázatfanfárhadonászáshadonászikkacskaringó

blómstradafnaskrautleg trilla eîa annaî flúrsveiflasveiflur og flúr

fiorire ghirigoro mulinello sventolare fanfara

fanfarosįmantrus mostasklestėtiklestintismosikuoti

fanfarasizgreznojumsizpušķojumslabi augtplaukt

feiende bevegelse florere flott gestus gå strykende snirkel

загогулина

široké gesto

cveteti

başarılı olmakfantazî pasajgelişmekgösterişli jestsallamak

兴旺挥舞花体字茂盛装饰性乐段

flourish

[ˈflʌrɪʃ]

A. N (= movement) → floritura f, ademán m ostentoso; (under signature) → rúbrica f (Mus) → floreo m; (= fanfare) → toque m de trompeta
to do sth with a flourish → hacer algo con una floritura or con gesto triunfal

B. VT [+ weapon, stick etc] → blandir

C. VI [plant etc] → crecer; [person, business, civilization] → florecer, prosperar

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

flourish

[ˈflʌrɪʃ]

(= do well) [business] → prospérer; [person] → s'épanouir

(= grow well) [plant] → se plaire

(= be prevalent) [racism, crime] → proliférer

vt [+ object] → brandir

(rhetorical, artistic) → fioriture f
with a flourish (= in a showy way) → avec un grand geste

[trumpets] → fanfare f

flourish

vi (plants etc, person) → (prächtig) gedeihen; (business) → blühen, florieren; (type of literature, painting etc) → seine Blütezeit haben; (writer, artist etc) → großen Erfolg haben, erfolgreich sein; crime flourished in poor areas → in den armen Gegenden gedieh das Verbrechen

vt (= wave about) stick, book etc → herumwedeln or -fuchteln mit, schwenken

(= curve, decoration etc) → Schnörkel m

(= movement) → schwungvolle Bewegung, eleganter Schwung; with a flourish of his stick → seinen Stock schwenkend; she did/said it with a flourish → sie tat es mit einer schwungvollen Bewegung/sagte es mit viel Schwung

(Mus: = fanfare) → Fanfare f; (= decorative passage) → Verzierung f; with a flourish of trumpets → mit einem Fanfarenstoß

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

flourish

[ˈflʌrɪʃ]

1. n → abbellimento; (movement) → gran gesto; (under signature) → svolazzo (Mus) (fanfare) → fanfara
to do sth with a flourish → fare qc con ostentazione

2. vi (gen) → fiorire; (person) → essere in piena forma; (writer, artist) → avere successo; (business) → prosperare

3. vt (weapon, stick) → brandire

flourish

(ˈflariʃ) , ((American) ˈflə:-) verb

1. to be healthy; to grow well; to thrive. My plants are flourishing.

2. to be successful or active. His business is flourishing.

3. to hold or wave something as a show, threat etc. He flourished his sword.

noun

1. an ornamental stroke of the pen in writing. His writing was full of flourishes.

2. an impressive, sweeping movement (with the hand or something held in it). He bowed and made a flourish with his hat.

3. an ornamental passage of music. There was a flourish on the trumpets.

ˈflourishing adjective

1. successful. a flourishing business.

2. growing well. flourishing crops.

References in classic literature ?

I envy you your beauty and your perfume." The Rose replied, "I indeed, dear Amaranth, flourish but for a brief season!

View in context

'I don't want to know about it; I don't choose to discuss it; I don't admit it!' Mr Podsnap had even acquired a peculiar flourish of his right arm in often clearing the world of its most difficult problems, by sweeping them behind him (and consequently sheer away) with those words and a flushed face.

with a flourish of the arm, and a flush of the face, they were swept away.

Having delivered this little summary, Mr Podsnap's face flushed, as he thought of the remote possibility of its being at all qualified by any prejudiced citizen of any other country; and, with his favourite right-arm flourish, he put the rest of Europe and the whole of Asia, Africa, and America nowhere.

In the mean time a stray personage of a meek demeanour, who had wandered to the hearthrug and got among the heads of tribes assembled there in conference with Mr Podsnap, eliminated Mr Podsnap's flush and flourish by a highly unpolite remark; no less than a reference to the circumstance that some half-dozen people had lately died in the streets, of starvation.

It is not one to be introduced among our wives and young persons, and I--' He finished with that flourish of his arm which added more expressively than any words, And I remove it from the face of the earth.

That such a young person could possibly have a morbid vacancy in the heart for anything younger than the plate, or less monotonous than the plate; or that such a young person's thoughts could try to scale the region bounded on the north, south, east, and west, by the plate; was a monstrous imagination which he would on the spot have flourished into space.

View in context

These noble qualities flourish as notably in a country church and churchyard as in the drawing-room, or in the closet.

View in context

Long flourish the sandal, the cord, and the cope, The dread of the devil and trust of the Pope; For to gather life's roses, unscathed by the briar, Is granted alone to the Barefooted Friar.

He reclined back upon his seat, with his eyes half shut; now, folding his hands and twisting his thumbs, he seemed absorbed in attention, and anon, balancing his expanded palms, he gently flourished them in time to the music.

View in context

And of course he knows himself that he is doing himself no sort of good with his moans; he knows better than anyone that he is only lacerating and harassing himself and others for nothing; he knows that even the audience before whom he is making his efforts, and his whole family, listen to him with loathing, do not put a ha'porth of faith in him, and inwardly understand that he might moan differently, more simply, without trills and flourishes, and that he is only amusing himself like that from ill-humour, from malignancy.

View in context

I can but say in excuse of it that I am more accustomed to handle a rifle than a pen, and cannot make any pretence to the grand literary flights and flourishes which I see in novels--for sometimes I like to read a novel.