noun
adjective
Other Word Forms
- plushed adjective
- plushlike adjective
- plushly adverb
- plushness noun
Etymology
Origin of plush
First recorded in 1585–95; 1920–25 plush for def. 2; from French pluche, syncopated variant of peluche, ultimately from Latin pilus “hair”
Explanation
Things that are plush are luxurious and a little over the top. A bedspread made of mink fur would be considered plush. Plush originally referred to a rich, soft type of fabric, and it’s now used to describe anything extravagant. A plush lifestyle is one only the wealthy can afford, with expensive restaurants, obedient servants, and fancy furniture. A plush living room is full of paintings and decorations. Someone who dresses in a plush way only buys the finest, most expensive clothing. Plush living is lavish living.
Vocabulary lists containing plush
Dear Martin
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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.
And when you whisk it into something, especially with a little acid, it loosens, lightens, turns almost plush.
From Salon • Mar. 25, 2026
Rooms in some plush hotels are going for a fraction of their usual cost.
From BBC • Mar. 13, 2026
A tridimensional T. rex protrudes from Iñaki Godoy’s head while he holds a small plush toy of Monkey D. Luffy, the character who changed his life forever.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 10, 2026
There was a pop-up shop decorated to look like a cozy British cottage full of holiday gifts, a scarf bar and Bloomingdale’s signature Big Brown plush collectible bear donned a plaid scarf.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026
Sophia's ladies-of-honor sit on plush cushions and feast on petit-foods.
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
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.
