with a flourish
8
5.7
- idiom
- The magician revealed the final trick with a flourish, leaving the audience in awe.
- finish with a flourish
- end with a flourish
- sign with a flourish
Examples
-
Eskimo Pie presented the walking stick to him with a flourish.
Fiction book (1998) -
"That's right," he said with a flourish, and set the box on the table beside her plate.
Fiction book (1996) -
Close the book with a flourish.
-
"Now, that," she said, taking her hand back with a flourish, "sounds like a line."
Fiction book (1991) -
At the bottom, someone had signed a large letter Y with a flourish.
Fiction book (1993) -
The justice showed us where to put our names and then signed the paper with a flourish.
Fiction book (1993) -
The taxi driver got into the cab and pulled away with a flourish.
Fiction book (2000) -
"My best suppliers, I do declare," he declared, signing a large order with a flourish.
Fiction book (1992) -
Derek was a skilled photographer and presented the slides with a flourish.
Fiction book (1996) -
Our waiter stepped aboard briskly, set a plate in front of me, and uncovered it with a flourish.
Fiction book (1999)
Synonyms
15
5.3
In a way that is easy to see or notice
14
4.3
In a very impressive and successful way
10
5.6
In a very rich and generous way using a lot of money
4
3.5
In a fashionable and elegant way
3
7.9
To act in a way that attracts attention and impresses people
2
6.8
In a way that uses bright colors and bold style to get attention
2
6.0
In a very decorated way with detailed designs like carved patterns or gold
2
5.3
In a very bright and impressive way
1
5.1
In a lively, excited way
1
8.2
In a showy way that has too many decorations and details
1
7.3
In a rich and expensive way to impress people
1
8.5
In a showy, exaggerated way to impress people
1
7.2
In a way that is bright and attracts attention
1
7.0
In a way that is bright and meant to attract attention
1
7.5
In a very bright and obvious way
1
4.2
In a way that shines or sparkles to attract attention
1
3.9
In a decorated and stylish way
1
5.9
In a very lively and excited way often to celebrate
1
7.1
In a way that makes something look nice rather than being useful
1
8.1
In a proud, showy way to get attention
1
7.5
In a way that openly shows off to get attention
1
6.3
In a showy way that attracts attention
Antonyms
How Showy
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'with' (accompanied by) + 'a' (article) + 'flourish' (an impressive/attention‑getting gesture) yields 'accompanied by an impressive gesture' or 'in an extravagant/stylish manner.' The syntactic pattern 'with a + noun' to express manner is common across languages and follows standard English composition, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
With a flourish comes from the idea of a showy, sweeping movement: imagine finishing a letter with a big, fancy flourish of the pen or a magician making a dramatic arm wave. That's why it means 'in a showy or stylish way to get attention'.