blossom
/ˈblɒs.əm/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈblɑː.səm/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈblä-səm/ (ame, mw) · /ˈblɒsəm/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈblɑːsəm/ (ame, ipa)
blossom — verb
- blossompresent simple I / you / we / they
- blossoms3rd person singular
- blossoming-ing form
- blossomedpast simple
1. (of a fruit tree, bush, or other flowering plant) to open out into flowers, usua
(of a fruit tree, bush, or other flowering plant) to open out into flowers, usually in spring and before any edible fruit grows.
The cherry trees in Obi's garden blossom every April after the last frost.
subject: tree/plant + blossom (intransitive)
Rin watered the small apple sapling all winter, hoping it would blossom by May.
The almond trees along the village road blossomed two weeks earlier than last year.
Christopher's plum tree finally blossomed after three quiet, fruitless years.
- wither
flowers dying or drying up
文法句型
[tree/plant] + blossom
用法筆記
Subject is always a tree, plant, or branch — never a person. For people developing or improving, use sense 2.
常見錯誤
2. to grow more confident, attractive, or skilled as a person, or for feelings, fri
to grow more confident, attractive, or skilled as a person, or for feelings, friendships, or projects to deepen and reach a fuller state.
After joining the choir, Mert blossomed into a confident and warm public speaker.
blossom into [noun] — describes a transformation
Their cautious first emails slowly blossomed into a deep friendship over five years.
subject: relationship/feeling + blossom
Dario's small garden project blossomed once two neighbours offered free seeds and time.
Once the new coach arrived, Shanti's tennis really began to blossom.
The shy nine-year-old has blossomed since her family moved to a quieter town.
文法句型
blossom into [noun]
用法筆記
Frequently followed by 'into' when naming the fuller form (a leader, a friendship, a career). Distinguish from sense 1: subject is a person, feeling, relationship, or project — not a plant.
常見錯誤
blossom — noun
- blossomsingular
- blossomsplural
1. a single flower, or the whole spread of flowers, that appears for a short spring
a single flower, or the whole spread of flowers, that appears for a short spring period — especially the showy flowers found on cherry, apple, or other fruit trees.
Ilan picked one pale pink blossom from the orchard and pinned it to his coat.
countable use: a blossom
In April the whole hillside is covered in white apple blossom.
uncountable use: a mass of flowers
Tourists travel to Kyoto each spring to see the cherry trees in full blossom.
A single late blossom still clung to the old pear tree behind Renata's house.
文法句型
in (full) blossom
[tree] + blossom
用法筆記
Often paired with the fruit tree's name (apple blossom, cherry blossom, orange blossom). The phrase 'in blossom' describes a tree currently bearing its flowers.
常見錯誤
2. the high point in someone's life or in a movement, when they are at their strong
the high point in someone's life or in a movement, when they are at their strongest, most productive, or most admired.
Owen wrote his most loved songs during the early blossom of his solo career.
metaphorical extension from the flower sense
The painter died young, cut off in the blossom of her talent.
fixed-ish phrase: 'in the blossom of'
These two decades are seen by many historians as the blossom of the city's craft trades.
Reema looked back on her thirties as the real blossom of her writing life.
- decline
the falling-off phase that follows a peak
文法句型
in the blossom of [noun]
用法筆記
Formal and literary; everyday speech prefers 'peak' or 'prime'. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense describes a period of human or cultural flourishing, not a flower.