Verb

(es)

To thrive or grow well.

*

, title= Mr. Pratt's Patients, chapter=1 , passage='Twas early June, the new grass was flourishing everywheres, the posies in the yard—peonies and such—in full bloom, the sun was shining, and the water of the bay was blue, with light green streaks where the shoal showed.}}

To prosper or fare well.

* Nelson

Bad men as frequently prosper and flourish , and that by the means of their wickedness.

* '>citation

To be in a period of greatest influence.

To develop; to make thrive; to expand.

* Francis Bacon

Bottoms of thread which with a good needle, perhaps may be flourished into large works.

To make bold, sweeping movements with.

To make bold and sweeping, fanciful, or wanton movements, by way of ornament, parade, bravado, etc.; to play with fantastic and irregular motion.

* Alexander Pope

Impetuous spread the stream, and smoking flourished o'er his head.

To use florid language; to indulge in rhetorical figures and lofty expressions.

* J. Watts

They dilate and flourish long on little incidents.

To make ornamental strokes with the pen; to write graceful, decorative figures.

To adorn with beautiful figures or rhetoric; to ornament with anything showy; to embellish.

(Fenton)

(Shakespeare)

To execute an irregular or fanciful strain of music, by way of ornament or prelude.

* Shakespeare

Why do the emperor's trumpets flourish thus?

(obsolete) To boast; to vaunt; to brag.

(Alexander Pope)

Verb

(excell)

To surpass someone or something; to be better or do better than someone or something.

* '>citation

    La Rochefoucauld, the French philosopher, said: "If
you want enemies, excel' your friends; but if you want
friends, let your friends '''excel''' you."
    Why is that true? Because when our friends '''excel''' us,
that gives them a feeling of importance; but when we ' excel
them, that gives them a feeling of inferiority and arouses
envy and jealousy.

I excelled everyone else with my exam results.

To be much better than others.

* {{quote-news

, year=2011 , date=November 12 , author= , title=International friendly: England 1-0 Spain , work=BBC Sport citation , page= , passage=Lescott gave his finest England performance alongside his former Everton team-mate Phil Jagielka, who also excelled despite playing with a fractured toe, while Parker was given a deserved standing ovation when he was substituted late on.}}

* 1924 : ARISTOTLE. Metaphysics . Translated by W. D. Ross. Nashotah, Wisconsin, USA: The Classical Library, 2001. Available at: . Book 1, Part 2.

If, then, there is something in what the poets say, and jealousy is natural to the divine power, it would probably occur in this case above all, and all who excelled in this knowledge would be unfortunate.

(rare) To exceed, to go beyond

* 1674 , Paradise lost, , by Milton

She opened; but to shut / Excelled her power: the gates wide open stood

* XIX century , , by Emily Dickinson

I reason, we could die : / The best vitality / Cannot excel decay; / But what of that?