burgeon

verb

ˈbər-jən How to pronounce burgeon (audio)
variants also bourgeon
Definition of burgeonnext
1
as in to increase
to become greater in extent, volume, amount, or number the trout population in the stream is burgeoning now that the water is clean

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to thrive
to grow vigorously the spring flowers burgeoned once the warm weather set in for good

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to bloom
to produce flowers chrysanthemums usually burgeon in early fall

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of burgeon The national debt surpassed a record $40 trillion on Wednesday, a staggering milestone as defense costs, social programs like Social Security and Medicare and interest on the burgeoning deficit make up an enormous share of federal spending. — ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026 There are several different development pathways a startup can take, from venture funding to partnerships to joining incubators and accelerators, which formed as a way to provide resources and support to burgeoning companies apart from capital. — Charlotte Hu, Time, 18 Aug. 2026 While closure of the strait has led to severe economic consequences, there is also a burgeoning ecological crisis. — Devika Rao, TheWeek, 17 Aug. 2026 With the belated realization that the Chinese had indeed overtaken them in the burgeoning electric-vehicle business, the world’s other car-makers descended into doom and gloom. — Jamie Kitman, Air Mail, 15 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for burgeon
Recent Examples of Synonyms for burgeon
  1. increase
  2. thrive
  3. bloom
  4. rise
  5. flourish
  6. flower
  7. swell
  8. blossom
Verb
  • There are also increasing concerns that the Russia-Ukraine war could escalate, amid reports that CIA chief John Ratcliffe have made a secretive Moscow trip to warn Russia against attacking NATO.
    — Justina Lee, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Friday starts dry in the Twin Cities with clouds and temperatures increasing through the afternoon.
    — Joseph Dames, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of increase
Verb
  • Indoors, geraniums will need bright, direct light from a sunny, south-facing window to thrive.
    — Alexandra Jones, The Spruce, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Avoid over-applying top dressing—too much can smother your grass and prevent it from thriving.
    — Helena Madden, Martha Stewart, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of thrive
Verb
  • Like other outdoor plants, coleus requires several hours of full, direct sun each day to grow properly, maintain its coloration, and eventually bloom.
    — Alexandra Jones, The Spruce, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Across the archipelago’s more than seven thousand islands, countless sovereign communities once bloomed with distinct languages and traditions, until Spain claimed them all under a single name.
    — Albert Samaha, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of bloom
Verb
  • Analysts note that following SpaceX's record-breaking IPO last month, investor interest in commercial spaceflight and the broader space sector has risen steadily.
    — , CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Alphabet’s stock is down more than 15% from its May peak, wiping out roughly $700 billion in value, as concerns rise over its mounting AI bills and failure to produce a decisive technological breakthrough.
    — Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of rise
Verb
  • A great deal of flourishing and suffering happens between people, not just within them, because human beings are relational beings.
    — David H. Rosmarin, Time, 29 Aug. 2026
  • The unsettled partisan lines around this issue have allowed anger, rooted in decades of deindustrialization and public austerity, to flourish in the electorate.
    — Dan Kaufman, New Yorker, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of flourish
Verb
  • During winter, spring-flowering bulbs should remain in a state of dormancy in cold areas and need minimal care.
    — Lauren Landers, The Spruce, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Plants have to be mature and about ready to flower when the central leaves turn varying shades of red.
    — Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of flower
Verb
  • Satellite imagery showed the scale of the flooding, with the basin of the Trishuli River dramatically swelled by mud.
    — Matteo Moschella, NBC news, 26 Aug. 2026
  • During the seven years that it was occupied by British forces, Manhattan had been ravaged by fires, picked over by looters, covered in fortifications, and swollen with refugees.
    — Eric Lach, New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of swell
Verb
  • What started 20 years ago as a football camp has blossomed into much more.
    — Scott Maxwell, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Aug. 2026
  • High schools, colleges and youth programs are blossoming at all levels at a record-breaking pace.
    — PJ Green August 27, Kansas City Star, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of blossom

Browse Nearby Words

burgees
burgeon
burgeoned
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Cite this Entry

“Burgeon.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/burgeon. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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