mush

1
[ muhsh or, especially for 2-5, moosh ]
See synonyms for: mushmushedmushing on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. meal, especially cornmeal, boiled in water or milk until it forms a thick, soft mass, or until it is stiff enough to mold into a loaf for slicing and frying.

  2. any thick, soft mass.

  1. mawkish sentimentality or amorousness.

  2. anything unpleasantly or contemptibly lacking in coherence, force, dignity, etc.: His entire argument was simply mush.

verb (used with object)
  1. to squeeze or crush; compress: to mush all the candy together in a sticky ball.

Origin of mush

1
An Americanism dating back to 1665–75; obscurely related to mash1

Other words for mush

Other definitions for mush (2 of 2)

mush2
[ muhsh ]

verb (used without object)
  1. to go or travel, especially over snow with a dog team and sled.

verb (used with object)
  1. to drive or spur on (sled dogs or a sled drawn by dogs).

interjection
  1. go! (used as an order to start or speed up a dog team)

noun
  1. a trip or journey, especially across snow and ice with a dog team.

Origin of mush

2
First recorded in 1860–65; perhaps originally as phrasal verb mush on!, from Canadian French, French marchons! “let's go!”; see march1

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use mush in a sentence

  • This mushy mess won’t win any awards for beauty, but it gets me through the morningA good bowl of mush is not an afterthought, but a delicate balancing of taste and texture — the predominant texture is, of course, smooth.

    Start Your Day With a Slop Parfait | Elazar Sontag | February 4, 2021 | Eater
  • The nearest camp is two good days mushing, with good fresh dogs.

    The Snow-Burner | Henry Oyen
  • There was a sound of bells, and "mushing," as the drivers harnessed up their dog-teams to carry the picnickers back to camp.

    Scarlett of the Mounted | Marguerite Merington
  • The beauty of "dog mushing" is that you are compelled to work as hard as the dogs.

    Adventures in Alaska | Samuel Hall Young
  • Later arrivals, mushing up the ice with dog teams, had tripled the population.

    Smoke Bellew | Jack London
  • Now he fancied himself again a schoolboy, now a ranger in Arizona, now mushing on the snow trails of Alaska.

    A Daughter of the Dons | William MacLeod Raine

British Dictionary definitions for mush (1 of 4)

mush1

/ (mʌʃ) /


noun
  1. a soft pulpy mass or consistency

  2. US a thick porridge made from corn meal

  1. informal cloying sentimentality

  2. radio interference in reception, esp a hissing noise

verb
  1. (tr) to reduce (a substance) to a soft pulpy mass

Origin of mush

1
C17: from obsolete moose porridge; probably related to mash; compare Old English mōs food

British Dictionary definitions for mush (2 of 4)

mush2

/ (mʌʃ) Canadian /


interjection
  1. an order to dogs in a sled team to start up or go faster

verb
  1. to travel by or drive a dog sled

  2. (intr) to travel on foot, esp with snowshoes

noun
  1. a journey with a dogsled

Origin of mush

2
C19: perhaps from French marchez or marchons, imperatives of marcher to advance

Derived forms of mush

  • musher, noun

British Dictionary definitions for mush (3 of 4)

mush3

/ (mʊʃ) /


nounBritish
  1. a slang word for face (def. 1)

Origin of mush

3
C19: from mush 1, alluding to the softness of the face

British Dictionary definitions for mush (4 of 4)

mush4

/ (mʊʃ) /


noun
  1. British slang a familiar or contemptuous term of address

Origin of mush

4
C19: probably from Gypsy moosh a man

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012