Silver-based metal organic frameworks (MOFs) have recently acquired considerable interest due to their potential applications in sensing and detection, bioimaging, and light-emitting devices. Incorporating specific linkers or functional groups into the MOF structure can tailor their fluorescence characteristics and thus can selectively respond to target analytes. Herein, we report the synthesis of a novel luminescent silver-based MOFs (SOF1) derived from 2,3-dihydroxyterephthalic acid (2,3-DHBDC). The formation of SOF1 was established via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and elemental analysis. The synthesis conditions i.e. molar ratio of Ag to 2,3-DHBDC and temperature played a crucial role in the formation of clean SOF with no formation of silver nanoparticles (NPs). High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) revealed various shapes depending on the synthesis conditions. Mostly, octahedrons and hexagons were observed for SOFs obtained utilizing molar ratio of 1:1 and 1:2, respectively. Furthermore, the selected area electron diffraction (SAED) revealed its high crystallinity. The synthesized SOF1 showed a distinct and strong fluorescent signal that is much higher than that produced from SOF2 based on the isomeric ligand; 2,5-dihydroxyterephthalic acid (2,5-DHBDC). The designed sensor was utilized for the sensitive detection of trifluralin (TRF) pesticide in river water samples. The achieved limit of detection of TRF was found to be 8 μg/L. The fluorescence quenching was experimentally and mathematically confirmed to primarily occur through the mechanisms of inner-filter effect (IFE), static quenching (SQ) and photoinduced electron transfer (PET). Moreover, a thin film of SOF1 was synthesized for selective visualization of TRF.