burgeon

verb

bur·​geon ˈbər-jən How to pronounce burgeon (audio)
variants or less commonly bourgeon
burgeoned also bourgeoned; burgeoning also bourgeoning; burgeons also bourgeons

intransitive verb

1
a
: to send forth new growth (such as buds or branches) : sprout
b
: bloom
when the flame trees and jacaranda are burgeoningAlan Carmichael
2
: to grow and expand rapidly : flourish
The market for her work has burgeoned in recent years.
tiny events which burgeon into national alarumsHerman Wouk

Did you know?

Burgeon arrived in Middle English as burjonen, a borrowing from the Anglo-French verb burjuner, meaning "to bud or sprout." Burgeon is often used figuratively, as when writer Ta-Nehisi Coates used it in his 2008 memoir The Beautiful Struggle: "… I was in the burgeoning class of kids whose families made too much for financial aid but not enough to make tuition payments anything less than a war." Usage commentators have objected to the use of burgeon to mean "to flourish" or "to grow rapidly," insisting that any figurative use should stay true to the word's earliest literal meaning and distinguish budding or sprouting from subsequent growing. But the sense of burgeon that indicates growing or expanding and prospering (as in "the burgeoning music scene" or "the burgeoning international market") has been in established use for decades and is, in fact, the most common use of burgeon today.

Examples of burgeon in a Sentence

The market for collectibles has burgeoned in recent years. the trout population in the stream is burgeoning now that the water is clean
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Tropic Bound Book Fair Thanks in part to the burgeoning reputation of the collection, a new book fair focused on artists’ books will take place in the Miami Design District Feb. 6-9. Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 2 Feb. 2025 The Denver Post in 2022 published a three-part investigation that documented, for the first time, how local villagers dredged these valuable antiquities from a secret vault at the Plai Bat II temple in northeast Thailand and sold them to a burgeoning collector named Douglas Latchford. Sam Tabachnik, The Denver Post, 1 Feb. 2025 This is classic Arab nationalist rhetoric, but at times embraces Islamist talking points that appeal to that sector of Egypt's burgeoning population. Dan Perry, Newsweek, 31 Jan. 2025 In the North, under pressure from a burgeoning insurance industry, governments moved to fireproof their cities. Justin Hawkins / Made By History, TIME, 31 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for burgeon 

Word History

Etymology

Middle English burjonen, from Anglo-French burjuner, from burjun bud, from Vulgar Latin *burrion-, burrio, from Late Latin burra fluff, shaggy cloth

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of burgeon was in the 14th century

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Dictionary Entries Near burgeon

Cite this Entry

“Burgeon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/burgeon. Accessed 6 Feb. 2025.

Kids Definition

burgeon

verb
bur·​geon ˈbər-jən How to pronounce burgeon (audio)
1
a
: to put forth new growth (as buds)
2

More from Merriam-Webster on burgeon

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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