From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishflourishflour‧ish1 /ˈflʌrɪʃ $ ˈflɜːrɪʃ/ ●○○ verb 1 [intransitive]SUCCESSFUL to develop well and be successful SYN thrive The economy is booming and small businesses are flourishing.2 [intransitive]GROW/GET BIGGER to grow well and be very healthy → thrive Most plants will flourish in the rich deep soils here.3 [transitive]SHOW/LET somebody SEE something to wave something in your hand in order to make people notice it She walked quickly to the desk, flourishing her cheque book.→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
flourish• Yet, without a ground and adequate pitch, the sport was unlikely to flourish.• Among the learned, however, the early eighteenth century was an age in which Deism flourished.• And in the end, it is all of us who allow this blood sport to flourish.• Just one insect in fifty lives in such a way, but those that take up a shared existence may flourish.• Nothing is maintained, sewer networks, water pipes, or treatment plants, so health hazards have flourished.• She came in excitedly, flourishing a letter with her exam results.• Carver and his friends are drunk, beaten up, and have flourished a ludicrous gift.• Talking about how you are getting along in a relationship is going to help it to flourish and grow.• It can flourish or struggle cannily to survive.• The painting showed two gates guarded by imposing military figures flourishing swords.flourishflour‧ish2 noun 1 → with a flourish2 [countable usually singular] a special or impressive part of something There’s nothing like a luxurious dessert to give a menu a final flourish.with a flourish They finished the season with a flourish, winning their last three matches.3 APM[countable] a loud part of a piece of music, played especially when an important person enters a flourish of trumpets4 WRITE[countable] a curved line that you use to decorate writingExamples from the Corpus
flourish• That usually works out at about a fiver a flourish.• In Hong Kong, equities ended 1995 with a flourish, with the benchmark index at a high for the year.• Omar greeted those nearby as he spread their blanket with a flourish on to the damp ground.• Alice ended with a flourish of her bow, held it high in the air and found herself laughing in triumph.• I encourage them to make more of their homework, to do it with a flourish and with spirit.• His had to have an additional flourish.• Lucas' speech was full of rhetorical flourishes.• He had a business card, which he presented with a theatrical flourish when I told him where I was headed.with a flourish• In Hong Kong, equities ended 1995 with a flourish, with the benchmark index at a high for the year.• The first writer to make the connection was Polydore Vergil, whose version became, with flourishes, the standard Tudor account.• The season ended with a flourish.• He then shot 11 straight pars before finishing with a flourish and a birdie on the last.• I encourage them to make more of their homework, to do it with a flourish and with spirit.• They did, however, start off with a flourish with two penalties by out-half Ricky Adair.• His grey hat, which he swept off with a flourish as the ladies approached, was set at a jaunty angle.From Longman Business Dictionaryflourishflour‧ish /ˈflʌrɪʃˈflɜːr-/ verb [intransitive] if a business or industry flourishes, it is very successful and makes a profitThe economy is booming and many small businesses are flourishing.→ See Verb tableOrigin flourish1 (1200-1300) Old French florir “to produce flowers”, from Latin flos “flower” 