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.
She said the upcoming eisteddfod performance meant she was learning "a bit more welsh", and even learning the language on her phone.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2023
Using registration data pulled from Seattle zip codes, the AKC found Labrador retrievers are Seattle’s second most-popular pup, followed by the French bulldog, Pembroke welsh corgi and havanese.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 21, 2023
Queso gradually migrated north to places where palates were used to creamy dishes like fondue and welsh rarebit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2016
He has been living off borrowed time for a while now and is lucky to be in the osprey team let alone the welsh one.
From BBC ● Feb. 16, 2015
I wonder what that is?’ said cook in the kitchen, and dropped the saucepan with the welsh rabbit in it which she had just made for kitchen supper.
From The Magic World by Millar, H. R. (Harold Robert)
He added the casting directors "worked tirelessly to bring an exciting ensemble together that was almost entirely Welsh".
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
Michael Sheen is set to star in a Welsh comedy film about a UFO sighting - after sharing his own encounter with "a phalanx of lights" in his hometown.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
An estimated 9,400 more homes are needed for people without a permanent place to live, according to the Welsh government.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
The discovery of the tunnels sparked Clubb to spend the next 27 years researching and in 2007 he published a book called The Welsh Arsenal.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
“If I should start a stone rolling,” he thought, “the whole Welsh army will be upon my neck.”
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.
