to cheat by failing to pay a gambling debt.
You aren't going to welsh on me, are you?
to go back on one's word.
He welshed on his promise to help in the campaign.
the inhabitants of Wales and their descendants elsewhere.
Also called Kymric. Also called Cymric. the Celtic language of Wales.
one of a white, lop-eared breed of swine of Welsh origin that produces a large amount of lean meat.
a language of Wales, belonging to the S Celtic branch of the Indo-European family. Welsh shows considerable diversity between dialects
(functioning as plural) the natives or inhabitants of Wales collectively
to fail to pay a gambling debt
to fail to fulfil an obligation
The verb welsh and the noun welsher are sometimes perceived as insulting to or by the Welsh, the people of Wales. While the actual origin of these words may have nothing to do with Wales or its people, it is better to avoid any expressions linked to a negative stereotype that may have historically disparaged an ethnic or national group.
First recorded in 1855–60; perhaps special use of Welsh
Before 900; Middle English Welische, Old English Welisc, derivative of Walh “Briton, foreigner” (compare Latin Volcae a Gallic tribe); cognate with German welsch “foreign, Italian”
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Trainspotting” doesn’t require a plot; like its source novel by Irvine Welsh, it’s a series of deeply observed vignettes or sketches.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 4, 2026
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said Edwards had been impersonating Basil Fawlty, although a statement from Edwards at the time suggested he had also been impersonating a Welsh footballer.
From BBC • Jun. 3, 2026
Welsh said: "These adverts are pumped at you when you've gone through the most horrendous circumstances - it's like walking through the door and someone's put a cot in your front room."
From BBC • Jun. 3, 2026
“When you have an oil shock like we’re currently facing, ideally SAF is a buffer against that,” said Welsh.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026
When true daylight arrived, they had come to the edge of the wood, and now the hills stood all about, being very high toward the north, where the Welsh mountains loomed in the blue distance.
From "The Door in the Wall" by Marguerite de Angeli
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.
