What does "flower" mean?
A colorful, conspicuous structure associated with angiosperms, frequently scented and attracting various insects, and which may or may not be used for sexual reproduction.
Flower
/ˈflaʊ.ə/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A colorful, conspicuous structure associated with angiosperms, frequently scented and attracting various insects, and which may or may not be used for sexual reproduction.
- Grammar: flower is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: bloom, blossom, acacia, advance.
- Useful contrasts: bract, bud, cloverleaves.
- Usage evidence: There is a flower shop near by.
How to use "flower"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "flower" 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 "flower" 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 "flower" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "flower" 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 "flower" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang 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 "bloom" 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 "flower", 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 colorful, conspicuous structure associated with angiosperms, frequently scented and attracting various insects, and which may or may not be used for sexual reproduction. countable, uncountable
"O Laurinella! little doſt thou wot / How fraile a flower thou doſt ſo highly prize: / Beauty's the flower, but love the flower-pot / That muſt preſerve it, els it quickly dyes."
- 2 Something that flows, such as a river. rare
"Leaving the weavers’ village behind you, and crossing the sandy bed of the Vengavati or ‘Swift-flower,’ which, however, contained not a drop of water, you reach the ancient Jain temple."
- 3 reproductive organ of angiosperm plants especially one having showy or colorful parts wordnet
- 4 A reproductive structure in angiosperms (flowering plants), often conspicuously colourful and typically including sepals, petals, and either or both stamens and/or a pistil. countable, uncountable
"You know, Darwin studied their fertilisation, and showed that the whole structure of an ordinary orchid flower was contrived in order that moths might carry the pollen from plant to plant."
- 5 a plant cultivated for its blooms or blossoms wordnet
Show 15 more definitions
- 6 A plant that bears flowers, especially a plant that is small and lacks wood. countable, uncountable
"We transplanted the flowers to a larger pot."
- 7 the period of greatest prosperity or productivity wordnet
- 8 The stem of a flowering plant with the blossom or blossoms attached, used for decoration, as a gift, etc. countable, uncountable
"He always keeps a vase full of flowers in his office."
- 9 Of plants, a state of bearing blooms. uncountable, usually
"The dogwoods are in flower this week."
- 10 The vulva, especially the labia majora. countable, euphemistic, familiar, uncountable
"[F]or ſtill, that my virgin-flower was yet uncrop'd never once enter'd into his head, and he would have thought it idling with time and words to have queſtion'd me upon it."
- 11 The best examples or representatives of a group. countable, uncountable
"At Floddon hyllys, / Our bowys, our byllys / Slew all the floure / Of theyr honoure."
- 12 The best state of things; the prime. countable, uncountable
"She was in the flower of her life."
- 13 Flour. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"The Flovvers of Grains mix'd vvith VVater vvill make a ſort of Glue."
- 14 A substance in the form of a powder, especially when condensed from sublimation. countable, in-plural, obsolete, uncountable
"the flowers of sulphur"
- 15 A figure of speech; an ornament of style. countable, uncountable
- 16 Ornamental type used chiefly for borders around pages, cards, etc. countable, uncountable
"I pointed out to the late Mr. Catherwood, of the firm of Caslon and Catherwood, the inconvenience of both these modes of cutting flowers,"
- 17 Menstrual discharges. countable, in-plural, obsolete, uncountable
"And if any man lye with her at all, and her flowers be vpon him, hee shall be vncleane seuen dayes: and all the bed whereon he lyeth, shall be vncleane."
- 18 A delicate, fragile, or oversensitive person. countable, uncountable
"[…] she whispered leaning over and kissing her forehead; and then added, 'Mummy loves you, precious flower.'"
- 19 Credit, recognition. countable, figuratively, in-plural, uncountable
"to give someone his flowers; to get one's flowers"
- 20 Cannabis. slang, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To put forth blooms. intransitive
"This plant flowers in June."
- 2 produce or yield flowers wordnet
- 3 To decorate with pictures of flowers. transitive
- 4 To reach a state of full development or achievement. intransitive
"when flowr'd my youthful spring"
- 5 To froth; to ferment gently, as new beer. archaic, intransitive
"That beer did flower a little."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 To come off as flowers by sublimation. intransitive
"observations which have flowered off"
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname. countable, uncountable
- 2 An unincorporated community in Braxton County, West Virginia, United States. countable, uncountable
Antonyms
Example
"There is a flower shop near by."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "flower"?
Common synonyms include: bloom, blossom, acacia, advance, androecium, anther.
How do you use "flower" in a sentence?
There is a flower shop near by.
How do you pronounce "flower"?
Pronounced /ˈflaʊ.ə/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English flour, from Anglo-Norman flur, from Latin flōrem, accusative of flōs, from Proto-Italic *flōs, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₃- (“to thrive, bloom”). Doublet of fleur, flor, flour, bloom, and blossom. Partly displaced native Old English blostma (which is cognate), whence Modern English blossom.
Etymology 2
From flow + -er.
Etymology 3
* As an occupational English surname, from the noun flower, and sometimes flour. * Also as an English surname, from Middle English flo (“arrow”). * Also as an English surname, variant of Floor, itself from the noun floor. * As a Welsh surname, Anglicized from Llywarch.