What does "flourish" mean?
A dramatic gesture such as the waving of a flag.
Flourish
/ˈflʌɹ.ɪʃ/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A dramatic gesture such as the waving of a flag.
- Grammar: flourish is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: brandish, fanfare, abound, abound.
- Useful contrasts: blighted, political collapse, rapid societal collapse.
- Usage evidence: Legends of vampires flourish in the Balkans.
How to use "flourish"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "flourish" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "flourish" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "flourish" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "flourish" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "flourish" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "brandish" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "flourish", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A dramatic gesture such as the waving of a flag.
"With many flourishes of the captured banner, they marched down the avenue."
- 2 (music) a short lively tune played on brass instruments wordnet
- 3 An ornamentation.
"His signature ended with a flourish."
- 4 the act of waving wordnet
- 5 A ceremonious passage such as a fanfare.
"The trumpets blew a flourish as they entered the church."
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 a display of ornamental speech or language wordnet
- 7 A decorative embellishment on a building.
- 8 a showy gesture wordnet
- 9 an ornamental embellishment in writing wordnet
Verb
- 1 To thrive or grow well. intransitive
"The barley flourished in the warm weather."
- 2 grow vigorously wordnet
- 3 To prosper or fare well. intransitive
"The town flourished with the coming of the railway."
- 4 move or swing back and forth wordnet
- 5 To be in a period of greatest influence. intransitive
"His writing flourished before the war."
Show 10 more definitions
- 6 make steady progress; be at the high point in one's career or reach a high point in historical significance or importance wordnet
- 7 To develop; to make thrive; to expand. transitive
"But all that I ſhall ſay in this vvhole Argument, vvill be but like Bottomes of Thred, cloſe vvound vp, vvhich vvith a good Needle (perhaps) may be flouriſhed into large VVorkes."
- 8 To make bold, sweeping movements with. transitive
"They flourished the banner as they stormed the palace."
- 9 To make bold and sweeping, fanciful, or wanton movements, by way of ornament, parade, bravado, etc.; to play with fantastic and irregular motion. intransitive
"Impetuous spread the stream, and smoking flourished o'er his head."
- 10 To use florid language; to indulge in rhetorical figures and lofty expressions. intransitive
"They dilate […] and flourish long upon little incidents."
- 11 To make ornamental strokes with the pen; to write graceful, decorative figures. intransitive
- 12 To adorn with beautiful figures or rhetoric; to ornament with anything showy; to embellish. transitive
"With shadowy verdure flourish'd high, A sudden youth the groves enjoy."
- 13 To execute an irregular or fanciful strain of music, by way of ornament or prelude. intransitive
"Why do the emperor's trumpets flourish thus?"
- 14 To boast; to vaunt; to brag. intransitive, obsolete
- 15 To brandish (a weapon). archaic, transitive
Example
"Legends of vampires flourish in the Balkans."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "flourish"?
Common synonyms include: brandish, fanfare, abound, abound, acciaccatura, adjunct.
How do you use "flourish" in a sentence?
Legends of vampires flourish in the Balkans.
How do you pronounce "flourish"?
Pronounced /ˈflʌɹ.ɪʃ/.
Etymology
From Middle English floryschen, from Old French florir (via the arrhizotonic stem floriss-), from Late Latin flōrīre, from Latin flōrēre, from Latin flōrem (“flower”, noun). Corresponds to flower + -ish.