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Definition of "flourish" []

  • To grow well or luxuriantly; thrive: The crops flourished in the rich soil. (verb-intransitive)
  • To do or fare well; prosper: "No village on the railroad failed to flourish” ( John Kenneth Galbraith). (verb-intransitive)
  • To be in a period of highest productivity, excellence, or influence: a poet who flourished in the tenth century. (verb-intransitive)
  • To make bold, sweeping movements: The banner flourished in the wind. (verb-intransitive)
  • To wield, wave, or exhibit dramatically. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "flourish" in a sentence
  • "He saw the label flourish throughout the 2000s, releasing women's and men's ready-to-wear collections as well as accessories, eyewear and two fragrances."
  • "Upsets may occur, even painful misunderstandings and separations, yet the essential love remains, and might again flourish, more temperately."
  • "The chief design flourish is the patterned panel on the sides of the jersey and shorts that evokes the shell of a diamondback terrapin."