mash

¹ American  

[mash] / mæʃ /

verb (used with object)

1. to crush.

   He mashed his thumb with a hammer.

2. to reduce to a soft, pulpy mass, as by beating or pressure, especially in the preparation of food.

3. to mix (crushed malt or meal of grain) with hot water to form wort.

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noun

1. a soft, pulpy mass.

2. a pulpy condition.

3. a mixture of boiled grain, bran, meal, etc., fed warm to horses and cattle.

4. crushed malt or meal of grain mixed with hot water to form wort.

5. British Slang. mashed potatoes.

mash ² American  

[mash] / mæʃ /

noun

1. a flirtation or infatuation.

2. a person who seeks another's affection or who is the object of affection.

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verb (used with object)

1. to flirt with; court the affections of.

MASH ³ American  

[mash] / mæʃ /

noun

1. mobile army surgical hospital.

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mash ¹ British  

/ mæʃ /

noun

1. a soft pulpy mass or consistency

2. agriculture a feed of bran, meal, or malt mixed with water and fed to horses, cattle, or poultry

3. (esp in brewing) a mixture of mashed malt grains and hot water, from which malt is extracted

4. informal mashed potatoes

5. dialect a brew of tea

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verb

1. to beat or crush into a mash

2. to steep (malt grains) in hot water in order to extract malt, esp for making malt liquors

3. dialect to brew (tea)

4. archaic to flirt with

MASH ² British  

/ mæʃ /

acronym

1. Mobile Army Surgical Hospital

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Other Word Forms

• mashed adjective
• masher noun

Etymology

Origin of mash¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English mash- and Old English mǣsc-, noun used in compounds, as in Middle English mashfat and Old English mǣscfat “mash-vat,” and mǣscwyrt “mash wort”; cognate with German Maische

Origin of mash²

First recorded in 1870–75; originally theatrical argot; further origin uncertain; flirt ( def. ), sweetheart, lover

Example Sentences

The traditional split-pea soup and vegetable mash have been staples of the Dutch diet for decades, served at winter markets or enjoyed by families after a long day of skating.

From Barron's • Feb. 19, 2026

And of course, between the mash bills and tasting notes, he still manages to slip in plenty of self-roasting.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 10, 2025

The Yankees and Dodgers have long forged their identities on their ability to mash.

From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 30, 2025

Enjoy them as is for a quick, on-the-go breakfast, toss them into a Cobb salad, mash them into egg salad, slice them into homemade ramen or add them to fried rice.

From Salon • Mar. 4, 2025

He leaned over and stuck the tip of his long pink tongue into the sour mash and then looked at me.

From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls

Related Words

• chew
• crush
• grind
• scrunch
• squeeze
• squish