noun
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
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
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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.
See Examples For:
Medics whisked him to safety, gave him a pain blocker, and placed him in a bed with a recessed, plush mat that molded to his body.
From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026
Last summer, he welcomed then-UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen to his plush resort at Turnberry on the west coast of Scotland.
From Barron's ● Sep. 12, 2026
Meanwhile, things like Legos and plush toys saw double-digit same-store sales gains in the second quarter.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026
In Salzburg, Dudamel indulged the Vienna Philharmonic’s incomparable lushness, those plush strings, glowing winds, golden brass, voluminous timpani.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
He wasn’t back at Dartmouth or over in one of the plush private hospitals on Chicago’s north side, where money wasn’t an issue.
From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
Today, the chairs and couches look much plusher: They were re-upholstered during the Obama and Trump administrations and, following original specifications, packed with horse hair — including 86 pounds for each sofa.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 13, 2022
Employers are also offering plusher health care packages, including providing expanded mental-health coverage, to compete for talent.
From Seattle Times ● May 13, 2022
The mascarpone is plusher and denser, but the pronounced tanginess of crème fraîche can be a nice contrast to the earthiness of the farro and mushrooms.
From New York Times ● Jan. 14, 2022
While resting my doughs did not make any cookie chewier — in fact, it resulted in a softer, plusher texture across the board — the tweak did result in markedly better-tasting cookies.
From Salon ● Nov. 3, 2021
The president, my grandmother, rises from a seat that’s plusher than the rest.
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
She and her sister, Marie-Jeanne, grew up in a luxurious apartment in the plushest district of the city.
From BBC ● Dec. 28, 2025
In its plushest, most prolific pocket, ‘ulu trees, with their large, glossy-green leaves outstretched, hold court. The endemic māmaki shrub grows in sun-dappled spots around the ‘ulu.
From Salon ● Dec. 7, 2023
When he handed over power to his successor, Uhuru Kenyatta, in 2013, Kibaki retreated to his home in one of Nairobi’s plushest neighbourhoods, close to his beloved Muthaiga golf club.
From Reuters ● Apr. 22, 2022
And so it is at Frick Madison: an unexpectedly audacious transmutation of the city’s plushest museum within Marcel Breuer’s home for the Whitney Museum of American Art.
From New York Times ● Feb. 25, 2021
But any house in which a man is free is a castle when compared to even the plushest prison.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
