ENGLISH
REFERENCE

thrive

v.
C1 Advanced Oxford US //ˈθɹaɪv// UK //θɹˈaɪv// thrive

v. to grow, develop, or be very successful. You use this to describe a person, business, or plant that is doing extremely well in its environment.

v. to flourish, prosper, or grow vigorously. Intransitive — describes a state of robust health or success without requiring a direct object.


SIMPLE

Most desert plants thrive in dry, sunny weather.

CONTEXTUAL

The small tech startup began to thrive after moving its headquarters to a city with more skilled workers.

COMPLEX

While some species struggle to adapt to urban expansion, others thrive in the concrete environment by exploiting new food sources and nesting sites that human activity provides.

Synonyms
Origin

From Middle English thryven, thriven, from Old Norse þrífa (“to seize, grasp, take hold, prosper”), from Proto-Germanic þrībaną (“to seize, prosper”), from Proto-Indo-European trep-, *terp- (“to satisfy, enjoy”). Cognate with Swedish trivas, Danish trives, Norwegian Bokmål trives.

Usage

The verb is intransitive and does not take a direct object; it is frequently followed by the preposition 'on' or 'in'.

Pitfall

The company thrives the economyThe company thrives in the economyThrive is intransitive and cannot take a direct object; it requires a preposition like 'in' or 'on' to connect to a noun.

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