Meaning & use
blossom
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Meanings
nouncountable or uncountable
A flower, or the mass of flowers, on a tree or bush, especially a fruit tree before the fruit forms.
Grammar: Uncountable for the mass on a tree (cherry blossom); countable for a single flower.
Patterns
- blossom on something
- in blossom
The cherry trees are covered in pink blossom.
Petals from the apple blossom drifted across the lawn.
A single blossom opened on the branch.
verbintransitive
To produce flowers, or to open into flower.
Grammar: No object: the trees blossom in spring.
Patterns
- something blossoms
The plum trees blossom in early March.
Once the weather warms up, the roses will blossom.
verbintransitivefigurative
To develop and become more successful, confident or beautiful over time.
Grammar: No object; often followed by into: she blossomed into a leader.
Patterns
- blossom into something
- blossom under someone
The shy boy blossomed into a confident speaker.
Their friendship blossomed during the summer camp.
The business blossomed after it moved online.
Word forms
| plural | blossoms |
|---|---|
| third person singular | blossoms |
| past tense | blossomed |
| past participle | blossomed |
| -ing form | blossoming |
Common combinations
- cherry blossom
- Crowds gather to see the cherry blossom each spring.
- in full blossom
- The orchard was in full blossom.
- blossom into
- The small shop blossomed into a national chain.
- apple blossom
- The air smelled of apple blossom.
- blossoming romance
- A blossoming romance began at the festival.
Synonyms and how they differ
- bloom
- Bloom is almost identical for flowers, but it often means the single flower, whereas blossom mostly means the mass on a tree.
- flourish
- Flourish means to grow strongly and does not need flowers, so it is broader than blossom.
- thrive
- Thrive stresses doing very well in a situation, while blossom stresses a visible opening up.
- develop
- Develop is neutral and says nothing about beauty or sudden success.
Opposites
Word family
- blossoming adjective
- in the process of flowering or developing
- blossomy adjective
- full of flowers
- bloom noun
- a flower
- late bloomer noun
- someone who succeeds later than expected
Commonly confused: blossom or bloom?
blossom vs bloom
Bloom is a single flower or the act of flowering, while blossom is more often the mass of flowers on a tree.
Practice
Which sentence uses blossom figuratively?
Choose one answer.
Blossomed into an excellent pianist describes a person developing, which is figurative. The other sentences refer to actual flowers.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “blossom”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.