mash
verb (used with object)
to crush.
mash
1 American
[mash]
/ mæʃ /
verb (used with object)
-
to crush.
He mashed his thumb with a hammer.
-
to reduce to a soft, pulpy mass, as by beating or pressure, especially in the preparation of food.
-
to mix (crushed malt or meal of grain) with hot water to form wort.
noun
-
a soft, pulpy mass.
-
a pulpy condition.
-
a mixture of boiled grain, bran, meal, etc., fed warm to horses and cattle.
-
crushed malt or meal of grain mixed with hot water to form wort.
-
British Slang. mashed potatoes.
mash
2
American
[mash]
/ mæʃ /
noun
-
a flirtation or infatuation.
-
a person who seeks another's affection or who is the object of affection.
verb (used with object)
MASH
3
American
[mash]
/ mæʃ /
noun
mash
1
British
/ mæʃ /
noun
-
a soft pulpy mass or consistency
-
agriculture a feed of bran, meal, or malt mixed with water and fed to horses, cattle, or poultry
-
(esp in brewing) a mixture of mashed malt grains and hot water, from which malt is extracted
-
informal mashed potatoes
-
dialect a brew of tea
verb
-
to beat or crush into a mash
-
to steep (malt grains) in hot water in order to extract malt, esp for making malt liquors
-
dialect to brew (tea)
-
archaic to flirt with
MASH
2
British
/ mæʃ /
acronym
Other Word Forms
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; cf. flirt ( def. ), sweetheart, lover
Explanation
When you mash something, you crush it. You might, for example, mash a marshmallow by stepping on it. Recipes for banana bread almost always include an instruction to mash some bananas — in other words, you need to squish and press on them until they no longer look like bananas. A bully might mash your carefully constructed sandcastle, crushing it down to the beach. The word mash seems to be related to mix, both probably rooted in the Proto-Indo-European meik, "to mix."
Vocabulary lists containing mash
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.
See Examples For:
Using the back of a spoon, mash some of the lentils directly in the skillet until the mixture lands somewhere between queso blanco and refried beans.
From Salon ● May 19, 2026
We bring in the koji, and then prepare the mash in wooden vats during the winter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 15, 2026
Or they can mash the brakes and get an extension from the Internal Revenue Service.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 14, 2026
It did not exist when Peake, who enjoyed bangers and mash and chicken curry in space, was a member.
From BBC ● Mar. 7, 2026
I presented the mash; which he did not take; nor, in his sickness, did he remonstrate when I held the mash before his face.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
Akero has a a drug in Phase 3 development for a treatment for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis, or MASH.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2025
Akero, based in South San Francisco, Calif., is developing a drug called EFX to treat MASH, a liver disease correlated with obesity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2025
It was based on the 1968 book, "MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors," penned by an Army surgeon.
From BBC ● May 30, 2025
This condition is better known as MASH, or metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis.
From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2024
"The fasting cycles lead to profound metabolic changes, which together act as beneficial detoxification mechanisms and help to combat MASH," says Heikenwälder, summarizing the molecular details.
From Science Daily ● May 7, 2024
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.
