Other forms: thriving, thrived, thrives
To thrive is to grow strong and successful in good conditions. Thrive on it, the business thrived, thrive in the sun.
It goes further than survive: a plant that thrives is doing better than merely living. Thrive on something means to be energised by what would exhaust other people — she thrives on pressure. In medicine, failure to thrive is a clinical term for a child not gaining weight as expected, and is a serious flag rather than a turn of phrase. Note thriving, which is the form most often used.
1verbthriveTo grow strong and successful in good conditions.
“The little café thrived once the new office block opened across the road.”
2verbenergisedTo be energised by something difficult.
“Some people panic under pressure, but she thrives on it.”
thrive is a flourishing.
Also accepted in games: flourish, prosper
Old Norse thrifa meant to seize or grasp, and the reflexive form meant to thrive. The idea is of taking hold — the same image as English get on well.
Proto-Indo-European
*terp-
Proto-Indo-European
*trep-
Proto-Germanic
*þrībaną — to seize, prosper
Old Norse
þrífa — to seize, grasp, take hold, prosper
Middle English
thryven
English, today
thrive
Built from
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.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA