blossom

blossom — verb

IPA/ˈblɒs.əm/
KK[blˈɑsəm]IPA/ˈblɑː.səm/
  • 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

1.verbintransitiveB2
Definition

(of a fruit tree, bush, or other flowering plant) to open out into flowers, usually in spring and before any edible fruit grows.

Example

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.

Common collocations
  • blossom in spring
  • blossom early
  • blossom late
Synonyms
  • bloom

    near-identical, slightly more common in everyday speech

  • flower

    as a verb, focuses on the moment the flower opens

Antonyms
  • wither

    flowers dying or drying up

Grammar Patterns

[tree/plant] + blossom

Usage Note

Subject is always a tree, plant, or branch — never a person. For people developing or improving, use sense 2.

Common Mistakes

The roses are blossoming a strong smell.
The roses are blossoming.
'blossom' is intransitive; it cannot take a direct object.

2. to grow more confident, attractive, or skilled as a person, or for feelings, fri

2.verbintransitiveC1
Definition

to grow more confident, attractive, or skilled as a person, or for feelings, friendships, or projects to deepen and reach a fuller state.

Example

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

Common collocations
  • blossom into
  • really blossom
  • fully blossom
Synonyms
  • flourish

    stronger sense of active, visible thriving

  • develop

    neutral; lacks the positive, flowering image

  • thrive

    emphasises continuing good condition, not the moment of change

Antonyms
  • wither

    of a feeling or project, fading away

  • stagnate

    stay stuck without growth

Grammar Patterns

blossom into [noun]

Usage Note

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.

Common Mistakes

He blossomed his career in finance.
His career blossomed in finance.
'blossom' takes no object; the developing thing is the subject.

blossom — noun

IPA/ˈblɒsəm/
KK[blˈɑsəm]IPA/ˈblɑːsəm/

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/2

All four verbs describe positive growth, but each picks out a different stage and feel. 'Develop' is the neutral, flat term — it simply means change over time, and works for anything from a skill to a disease. 'Blossom' adds a clear before-and-after: someone or something that was small, shy, or hidden becomes open and visible, like a flower unfolding; it pairs naturally with 'into'. 'Flourish' suggests active, visible thriving in the present — a business that flourishes is busy and successful right now. 'Thrive' is similar to flourish but emphasises continuing good health or condition rather than a transformation. So you might say a shy student blossomed at high school, then went on to flourish as a debater and now thrives in her law firm — each verb marking a different shape of growth.

blossom ↗flourish ↗thrive ↗develop ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • in full blossom
  • blossom into a [role/thing]

Prepositions

Etymology

Proto-GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

From Old English 'blostm' or 'blostma', meaning a flower, and related to the older Germanic root for swelling and opening. The same root gives us 'bloom' and is linked further back to a Latin word for flower, 'flos'. The figurative use — a person or talent 'blossoming' — has been part of English for several centuries, drawing the natural picture of a closed bud opening into something fuller.