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:
“Everything was brown,” Weger says as she sits on a plush sofa covered in pink and chartreuse striped Christian Lacroix fabric.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
A plush toy may be dependent on unpredictable consumer spending, but the underlying business model is built on revenue stemming from royalties, Collins said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
The media tribune is plush and enclosed, open windows allowing some of the atmosphere to drift in.
From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026
A pool journalist allowed to tour the inside of the plane reported that it features leather seats, plush carpets, wooden panelling and walls colored tan and light brown with shades of gold.
From Barron's ● Jun. 19, 2026
I sank back in the gray, plush seat and closed my eyes.
From "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath
Tate’s gifts for texture and color are intensely rendered in Ethel’s feisty 2015 recording; the Philharmonic’s version was plusher.
From New York Times ● Mar. 8, 2024
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
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 plusher environs of the two-level space formerly home to Barca, at 1510 11th Ave., might be a bit of a departure from the funky-cozy cafe’s old U District digs.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 7, 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
I know you’ll watch over mom, dad, and I. I hope you’re in paradise right now ballin’ - with a ball right next to you on the plushest pitch.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2020
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.
