flourish
flour|ish /fl'ʌrɪʃ, AM fl'ɜːr-/ (flourishes flourishing flourished)
1 [VERB] V
If something flourishes, it is successful, active, or common, and developing quickly and strongly.
Business flourished and within six months they were earning 18,000 roubles a day...
= thrive
≠ flounder
● flourishing [ADJ]
London quickly became a flourishing port.
2 [VERB] V
If a plant or animal flourishes, it grows well or is healthy because the conditions are right for it.
The plant flourishes particularly well in slightly harsher climes.
= thrive
● flourishing [ADJ]
Britain has the largest and most flourishing fox population in Europe.
3 [VERB] V n
If you flourish an object, you wave it about in a way that makes people notice it.
He flourished the glass to emphasize the point.
[N-COUNT]
Flourish is also a noun.
He took his peaked cap from under his arm with a flourish and pulled it low over his eyes.
4 [N-COUNT]
If you do something with a flourish, you do in a showy way so that people notice it.
1 [VERB] V
If something flourishes, it is successful, active, or common, and developing quickly and strongly.
Business flourished and within six months they were earning 18,000 roubles a day...
= thrive
≠ flounder
● flourishing [ADJ]
London quickly became a flourishing port.
2 [VERB] V
If a plant or animal flourishes, it grows well or is healthy because the conditions are right for it.
The plant flourishes particularly well in slightly harsher climes.
= thrive
● flourishing [ADJ]
Britain has the largest and most flourishing fox population in Europe.
3 [VERB] V n
If you flourish an object, you wave it about in a way that makes people notice it.
He flourished the glass to emphasize the point.
[N-COUNT]
Flourish is also a noun.
He took his peaked cap from under his arm with a flourish and pulled it low over his eyes.
4 [N-COUNT]
If you do something with a flourish, you do in a showy way so that people notice it.