English Reference

Word

bloom

Phoneticsbloom

US/ˈbɫum/

UK/blˈuːm/

Definitions

01flowers or surface coating

B1

n. the opening of flowers on a plant, or the powdery white coating that forms on chocolate or fruit.

n. the state or period of flowering, or a delicate powdery coating on the surface of certain fruits or chocolate.

“The cherry blossoms are in full bloom this spring.”

“A thin white bloom appeared on the surface of the tempered chocolate.”

02degassing coffee

B2 · coffee

n. the rapid release of carbon dioxide gases that occurs when hot water first touches freshly roasted ground coffee.

n. the initial wetting phase in coffee brewing where hot water liberates trapped carbon dioxide from grounds to facilitate even extraction.

“Watch for the bloom when you pour the first thirty milliliters of hot water over the coffee.”

“Freshly roasted specialty beans produce a dramatic bloom, bubbling vigorously as trapped gases escape from the grounds.”

Real-World Examples

“Then I put it in a dark corner of a warm closet and waited for it to bloom.”
The Guardian · 8 Sept 2026
“Those ideas bloomed into a full album, Lost in Another World.”
The Guardian · 17 Aug 2026
“The bloom is a crucial step in the filter coffee brewing process.”
Perfect Daily Grind · 1 Sept 2025
“To bloom your coffee is to pour a small, initial stream of hot water on it, just enough to saturate the brew bed, and then wait briefly before adding more water.”
Serious Eats · 25 Jun 2023

Etymology

English and Jewish surname converged from several origins: * Middle English blom (“ingot”), from Old English blōma (“lump of iron”) * Swedish Blom * Dutch Bloem, see bloem (“flower”) * Spelling variant of Blum

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Word family

abloomAdjectiveBloomNoun

Idioms

bloom is off the rose — The person, object, or situation identified in the context has lost its novelty, freshness, appeal, or acceptability.

Domains

CookingTelevision

This entry

Level
B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency
Frequent
Updated

Scan code

englishreference.com/q/bloom

English Reference