lush
1 Americanadjective
-
(of vegetation) abounding in lavish growth
-
(esp of fruits) succulent and fleshy
-
luxurious, elaborate, or opulent
noun
-
a heavy drinker, esp an alcoholic
-
alcoholic drink
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of lush1
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English lusch “slack”; of disputed origin; perhaps cognate with Old English lysu “bad,” lēas “lax,” Middle Low German lasch “slack,” Old Norse lǫskr “weak,” Gothic lasiws “weak”; alternatively, perhaps from Old French lasche “cowardly, loose,” adjective derivative of laschier “to loosen,” from Late Latin laxicāre, derivative of laxāre; see relax ( def. )
Origin of lush2
First recorded in 1780–90; perhaps facetious application of lush 1
Explanation
Lush describes something growing in abundance, like the lush green grass that covers the lawn in the spring. Lush usually describes thick healthy plant growth, like the jungles of the rainforest that were so lush you couldn't walk through without chopping down branches. (Then it wasn't so lush anymore...oops!) Lush also means "plush" or even "extravagant" — like a thick shag carpet, music with lots of layers, or a bedroom wallpapered in velvet. Plants full of juice are lush, which is perhaps why a person who drinks too much alcohol is called a lush.
Vocabulary lists containing lush
The Vernal Vocabulary of Spring
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The Things They Carried
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Lyddie
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A sizable firepit in the yard itself looks tailor-made for family game nights or s’mores sessions, and is surrounded by a lush green lawn and elegant landscaping.
From MarketWatch • May 27, 2026
They question Hilton’s motives for growing the beard and say all it does is expose his follicle deficiencies in comparison to Bianco’s lush upper lip.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 27, 2026
His family have been grazing cattle on the lush pastures of Charlton Musgrove, near Wincanton in Somerset, for 350 years.
From BBC • May 27, 2026
This one felt a little like playing pantry alchemist in the hour before dinner — the sort of meal that begins with “What needs using?” and somehow ends with something improbably lush.
From Salon • May 12, 2026
The waters along that coast were home to a lush forest of kelp.
From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
