1. (v.i.)flourish to be in a vigorous state; thrive.
2. flourish to be at the height of development, activity, influence, or fame.
3. flourish to be successful; prosper.
4. flourish to grow luxuriantly or thrive in growth, as a plant.
5. flourish to make sweeping gestures.
6. (v.t.)flourish to brandish dramatically; gesticulate with.
7. (n.)flourish an act or instance of brandishing.
8. flourish an ostentatious or dramatic gesture or display.
9. flourish a decoration or embellishment, esp. in writing: He added a few flourishes to his signature.
10. flourish a florid bit of language.
11. flourish an elaborate musical passage.
12. flourish a condition or period of thriving: in full flourish.
Etymology: (1250–1300; ME florisshen < MF floriss-, long s. of florir&indirdesc; L flōrēre)
Definition of 'flourish'
Princeton's WordNet
1. (noun)flourish a showy gesture "she entered with a great flourish"
2. (noun)flourish an ornamental embellishment in writing
3. (noun)flourish a display of ornamental speech or language
4. (noun)flourish, brandish the act of waving
5. (verb)flourish, fanfare, tucket (music) a short lively tune played on brass instruments "he entered to a flourish of trumpets"; "her arrival was greeted with a rousing fanfare"
6. (verb)boom, thrive, flourish, expand grow vigorously "The deer population in this town is thriving"; "business is booming"
7. (verb)thrive, prosper, fly high, 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"
8. (verb)brandish, flourish, wave move or swing back and forth "She waved her gun"
1. (verb)flourish to grow well a plant that will flourish even in poor soil
2. flourish to do well or be successful After three years, the company is flourishing.
Definition of 'flourish'
Webster Dictionary
1. (noun)flourish a flourishing condition; prosperity; vigor
2. (noun)flourish decoration; ornament; beauty
3. (noun)flourish something made or performed in a fanciful, wanton, or vaunting manner, by way of ostentation, to excite admiration, etc.; ostentatious embellishment; ambitious copiousness or amplification; parade of words and figures; show; as, a flourish of rhetoric or of wit
4. (noun)flourish a fanciful stroke of the pen or graver; a merely decorative figure
5. (noun)flourish a fantastic or decorative musical passage; a strain of triumph or bravado, not forming part of a regular musical composition; a cal; a fanfare
6. (noun)flourish the waving of a weapon or other thing; a brandishing; as, the flourish of a sword
7. (verb)flourish to grow luxuriantly; to increase and enlarge, as a healthy growing plant; a thrive
8. (verb)flourish to be prosperous; to increase in wealth, honor, comfort, happiness, or whatever is desirable; to thrive; to be prominent and influental; specifically, of authors, painters, etc., to be in a state of activity or production
9. (verb)flourish to use florid language; to indulge in rhetorical figures and lofty expressions; to be flowery
10. (verb)flourish to makebold and sweeping, fanciful, or wanton movements, by way of ornament, parade, bravado, etc.; to play with fantastic and irregular motion
11. (verb)flourish to makeornamental strokes with the pen; to write graceful, decorative figures
12. (verb)flourish to execute an irregular or fanciful strain of music, by way of ornament or prelude
14. (verb)flourish to adorn with flowers orbeautiful figures, either natural or artificial; to ornament with anything showy; to embellish
15. (verb)flourish to embellish with the flowers of diction; to adorn with rhetorical figures; to grace with ostentatious eloquence; to set off with a parade of words
16. (verb)flourish to move in bold or irregular figures; to swing about in circles or vibrations by way of show or triumph; to brandish
17. (verb)flourish to develop; to make thrive; to expand