Blossom: The Flower on a Tree, and What People Do When They Thrive
Blossom is the flower of a fruit tree, and the verb means to flower or to develop well. It is one of the gentlest words English has for growth.
Blossom belongs to trees rather than to borders. You speak of apple blossom and cherry blossom, not rose blossom. As a verb it moves easily to people: a shy child who blossoms has not merely improved, they have opened out.
- The flower of a tree (noun). *The orchard was thick with blossom.*
- To come into flower (verb). *The plum trees blossom in April.*
- To develop and flourish. *Their friendship blossomed into something more.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun (mass) | blossom | Apple blossom. |
| Plural | blossoms | Pink blossoms on the branch. |
| Verb | blossom | The tree blossoms early. |
| Adjective | blossoming | A blossoming career. |
| Related | bloom | Roses in full bloom. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Cherry blossom draws crowds every spring.Uncountable when speaking of the mass of flowers.
- She blossomed in her second year at university.Grew in confidence — the most common human use.
- What began as a hobby blossomed into a business.Blossom into marks the change of state.
Blossom, bloom, flower and flourish
- Blossom — the flowers of a fruit tree, and the promise of fruit to come
- Bloom — any flower at its peak, and a word for looking healthy
- Flower — the general noun, and the plainest verb
- Flourish — thrive vigorously, with no botanical picture required
From Old English *blostm*, related to Latin *flos* and to English *bloom*. The distinction between blossom and bloom is not grammatical but customary: blossom hints at what comes next, while bloom describes the moment itself.
Is blossom countable?
Both. Use the mass noun for a covering of flowers and the plural for individual ones you can point at.
Blossom into or blossom in?
Into marks what something becomes: *blossomed into a leader*. In marks where or when: *blossomed in spring*.