thrive meaning english

Business English Vocabulary – thrive

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It’s a new week and I have a new English word for you. You can use this English word in business situations to express yourself better.

How to thrive

Read this excerpt from the article “The complete guide to thriving, compiled by scientists” on Quartz

“To thrive requires certain external elements to line up in the right way. Even if you cultivate the right mental state, you’ll still need some help in the form of the following:

  • opportunity
  • bonds with people and support
  • manageable challenges
  • a stable environment
  • a high degree of autonomy

That said, you can thrive in one area—work, artistic or leisure pursuits, relationships, sports, personal goals—while still struggling in others. And you can have times where the right attitudes and conditions align and you totally thrive, even for a brief period.”

Meaning of ‘thrive’

The English word to thrive means to be very successful and develop well. Synonyms for ‘thrive’ are: to prosper; to flourish.

thrive - business english

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How to pronounce the word ‘thrive’

/θrʌɪv/

Click on the play icon below to listen to the correct pronunciation of ‘thrive’. Then, repeat the word yourself.

What type of word is ‘thrive’?

The English word thrive is a verb.

Note: There are two different forms of the simple past and past participle – a regular and an irregular form.

Simple past: throve/thrived

Past participle: thriven/thrived

thrive WOTW

How to use the English word thrive in business

The verb ‘thrive’ is commonly used in three ways:

  • to thrive: ‘The business is thriving.’
  • to thrive on something:He seems to thrive on hard work.’
  • to thrive in something:Rebecca seems to thrive in business.’

to thrive

Here, thrive is the active verb and something, such as a business or a person, are thriving.

Examples:

  • The business is thriving.
  • It’s hard to thrive without a good network.

to thrive on sth

Note that the verb ‘thrive’ is followed by the preposition ‘on’ when you talk about something that makes you successful. When you use the preposition ‘on’, you refer to what is powering the success, i.e. a situation they are successful and productive in.

For example:

    • He seems to thrive on hard work.
    • I have always thrived on change.
    • Do you thrive on challenge?
    • This is a great example of how to thrive on innovation.

to thrive in sth

When the verb ‘thrive’ is followed by the preposition ‘in’, you refer to the environment in which you are successful. Some examples are:

  • Rebecca seems to really thrive in business.
  • What does it take to thrive in the marketplace?
  • You can thrive in one area: work, artistic or leisure pursuits, relationships, sports, or personal goals.

thrive - business english vocabulary

Memorize the new word

As you know, you can only learn a new word effectively by repeating it often. To help you remember the new vocabulary, I have created flashcards for you. You can practice and then test yourself by switching between the different ‘study modes’ on Quizlet:  

Study the new word on Quizlet

Let’s practice the new business vocabulary

As always, I would like to hear from you now. What do you thrive on?

Answer this questions by sharing a comment below!  

Happy learning!

Read also: Business English vocabulary – launch

Learn more Business English vocabulary


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