bloom
bloom — verb
1. If a plant blooms, flowers grow on it and the petals open.
If a plant blooms, flowers grow on it and the petals open.
Cherry trees bloom along the river every April in Kyoto.
intransitive with plant subject
By June, roses bloom outside the station cafe.
After warm rain, the cactus bloomed on Noa's balcony.
Wild lilies are blooming beside the school gate this week.
progressive for flowering period
- cherry trees bloom
- roses bloom
- bloom in spring
- flowers are blooming
Grammar Patterns
plants and trees bloom
bloom in spring
Usage Note
Used for flowers, trees, and other plants; the subject is the plant itself, not the person growing it.
Common Mistakes
2. To bloom is to show your best qualities and become strong or successful.
To bloom is to show your best qualities and become strong or successful.
Under Coach Imani, the young team bloomed after winter break.
figurative use with team subject
Away from home, Leila bloomed into a calm, confident leader.
pattern: bloom into + noun
The small business bloomed once weekend tourists found the street.
With daily lessons, Ravi's drawing skills bloomed at art camp that summer.
- bloom into a leader
- business blooms
- talent blooms
- bloom under good care
Grammar Patterns
somebody blooms
something blooms
bloom into + noun
Usage Note
Often used about people, skills, teams, or businesses after a helpful change. Distinguish from verb/1, which is literal plant flowering.
Common Mistakes
bloom — noun
1. Bloom is the stage or season when flowers have begun to open or are fully open.
Bloom is the stage or season when flowers have begun to open or are fully open.
The orchard is in bloom, and bees cover every branch.
fixed phrase: in bloom
By late March, the hillside comes into bloom after the snow.
pattern: come into bloom
These roses stay in bloom for almost six weeks.
At sunrise, the peach trees were in full bloom.
collocation: full bloom
- in bloom
- come into bloom
- full bloom
- stay in bloom
- flowering
More technical and often used in biology or gardening.
- blossom time
Highlights the season when trees or flowers open.
- dormancy
Refers to a resting period with no flowering.
Grammar Patterns
be in bloom
come into bloom
in full bloom
Usage Note
Most common in the fixed phrases 'in bloom', 'come into bloom', and 'in full bloom'. Distinguish from noun/2, which names one flower.
Common Mistakes
2. The bloom of a plant is its flower, often one with a pretty shape or colour.
The bloom of a plant is its flower, often one with a pretty shape or colour.
Each stem carried one white bloom above the dark leaves.
countable use for a single flower
Priya cut the dead blooms before watering the front garden.
A single pink bloom stood out in the cracked pot.
The florist tucked three orange blooms into the wedding arch.
- cut blooms
- dead blooms
- single bloom
- orange blooms
Grammar Patterns
a bloom
cut blooms
Usage Note
Usually countable and common when describing the look or number of flowers, especially in gardening or floristry.
3. The bloom of something is a time when it is especially active, productive, or su
The bloom of something is a time when it is especially active, productive, or successful.
The river town was in bloom when three mills ran day and night.
figurative use for a successful period
In the 1950s, jazz clubs were in bloom along River Street.
By August, the bakery's online orders were in full bloom after one video.
figurative full bloom
New theatres opened when the harbor district's arts scene came into bloom.
- in bloom
- come into bloom
- reach its bloom
- arts scene in bloom
- decline
A period when activity or success falls.
Grammar Patterns
be in bloom
come into bloom
reach its bloom
Usage Note
Usually appears in figurative patterns such as 'in bloom' or 'come into bloom' for a city, art scene, or industry.
4. Bloom is the fresh, lively look in a face or skin that shows good health.
Bloom is the fresh, lively look in a face or skin that shows good health.
After two weeks outdoors, Mei had a warm bloom in her cheeks.
pattern: bloom in someone's cheeks
The doctor said rest would bring back the bloom to his face.
pattern: bring back the bloom
Good sleep gave Zara a bloom that makeup could not copy.
Even after the fever, some bloom returned to Yusuf's skin.
- bloom in the cheeks
- bring back the bloom
- lose the bloom
- bloom to the face
- paleness
Suggests lack of healthy colour.
Grammar Patterns
bloom in someone's cheeks
bring back the bloom to someone's face
Usage Note
Usually singular and often linked with cheeks, face, or skin. The idea is visible health, not a specific colour word.
5. A bloom is a fast increase in algae or other tiny living things in water.
A bloom is a fast increase in algae or other tiny living things in water.
A summer bloom turned Blue Lake bright green by the fishing pier.
environmental use with water subject
Satellites tracked the bloom after hot weather spread across the bay.
The beach closed when a toxic bloom spread past the swimming area.
collocation: toxic bloom
Heavy farm runoff can trigger a bloom in shallow water.
- algae bloom
- toxic bloom
- summer bloom
- trigger a bloom
- surge
A general word for a sudden rise, not only in water life.
- outbreak
Can sound more alarming and is often used for disease.
- proliferation
More formal and scientific.
- decline
Shows the amount falling rather than rising quickly.
Grammar Patterns
an algae bloom
a toxic bloom
trigger a bloom
Usage Note
Commonly modified by words like 'algae', 'toxic', or 'harmful' and used for lakes, rivers, or coastal water.
6. Someone's bloom is the part of life when they seem most young, strong, and attra
Someone's bloom is the part of life when they seem most young, strong, and attractive.
At twenty-two, Hana was in the bloom of youth.
literary phrase: in the bloom of youth
The wedding photo shows Omar in the bloom of early manhood.
Grandmother still remembers her mother dancing in the bloom of girlhood.
The painter captured the dancer in the bloom of youth.
- bloom of youth
- the bloom of youth
- in the bloom of youth
- old age
The later stage of life, not its youthful peak.
Grammar Patterns
the bloom of youth
in the bloom of youth
Usage Note
Largely fixed in the phrase 'the bloom of youth' and sounds literary in modern English.
7. Bloom is a pale powdery layer that appears on a surface after moisture and dryin
Bloom is a pale powdery layer that appears on a surface after moisture and drying.
White bloom covered the brick wall after last week's rain.
countable use for a powdery layer
A chalky bloom spread across the old table below the leaky window.
A grey bloom formed on the paint near the bathroom door.
The cleaner wiped the bloom from the tiles with vinegar.
pattern: wipe the bloom from
- white bloom
- grey bloom
- bloom on paint
- wipe off the bloom
- shine
A clean bright surface with no cloudy layer.
Grammar Patterns
a bloom on a surface
wipe the bloom from something
Usage Note
Often used for a thin pale film on paint, walls, chocolate, or similar surfaces after moisture changes.
8. Bloom is the light waxy coat on the skin of some fruit.
Bloom is the light waxy coat on the skin of some fruit.
Do not wash off the bloom on the plums yet.
pattern: bloom on fruit
Blueberries lose their bloom after too much handling.
The market grapes still had bloom because they were picked at dawn.
A thin bloom made the ripe plums look almost silver.
- bloom on plums
- bloom on grapes
- natural bloom
- soft bloom
- bare skin
Fruit surface after the natural layer has rubbed off.
Grammar Patterns
the bloom on fruit
lose its bloom
Usage Note
Used for the natural protective layer on fruit such as plums, grapes, and blueberries; it does not mean dirt.
Common Mistakes
in (full) bloom
idiomWhen a plant has its flowers completely open and looking their best.
The cherry trees in the park are in full bloom now.
Have you seen the roses in bloom? They smell wonderful.
Word family
- bloomingadjectiveB2
- bloomernounC1
Synonym discussion
Sense: verb/1
For plants, bloom and blossom are very close, but blossom often sounds a little more poetic and is especially common for spring trees such as cherry or apple. Flower is the most neutral choice and fits both everyday speech and gardening advice. Open is narrower: it only tells you that the petals spread, not that the whole plant has entered its flowering period. So a rose can open in the morning, while a rose bush blooms for weeks. Compare: 'The cherry trees are blossoming along the road,' 'These beans flower in early summer,' and 'The tulips opened after the sun came out.'
Common collocations
Etymology
Bloom comes from an old Germanic word for a flower or mass of flowers. In English it first referred to the flower itself and the state of flowering, then spread to related ideas such as youthful beauty, healthy colour in the face, and a period of full growth or success.