mush

1 of 4

noun (1)

ˈməsh How to pronounce mush (audio)
especially in sense 3 also
ˈmu̇sh How to pronounce mush (audio)
1
: a thick porridge made with cornmeal boiled in water or milk
2
: something soft and spongy or shapeless
3
a
: weak sentimentality : drivel
b
: mawkish amorousness

mush

2 of 4

verb (1)

mushed; mushing; mushes

transitive verb

chiefly dialectal : to reduce to a crumbly mass

intransitive verb

of an airplane : to fly in a partly or nearly stalled condition

mush

3 of 4

verb (2)

mushed; mushing; mushes

intransitive verb

: to travel especially over snow with a sled drawn by dogs
often used as a command to a dog team

mush

4 of 4

noun (2)

: a trip especially across snow with a dog team

Examples of mush in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Other rice varieties will turn to mush under the same circumstances. Robin Miller, The Arizona Republic, 29 Feb. 2024 And what snow remained was often like mush in above-freezing temperatures. John Myers, Twin Cities, 3 Feb. 2024 This nourishing bowl of mush is more reliable than my malfunctioning radiator. Kate Kassin, Bon Appétit, 25 Jan. 2024 Hailing from Northern Italy, polenta is basically a cornmeal porridge (also known in the U.S. as cornmeal mush). Wini Moranville, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Jan. 2024 Plus, Granny Smith apples hold up while baking and won't turn into mush in the oven. Karen Schroeder-Rankin, Southern Living, 17 Dec. 2023 This is especially critical when making cornbread stuffing, which will otherwise turn to mush. Claire Saffitz, Bon Appétit, 11 Oct. 2023 Some have lasted a year, and others have turned to mush much sooner. Roxana Popescu, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Oct. 2023 Inside the skull of a living human, the brain is almost the consistency of jello, a miraculous mush of electrical charges. Alex Morris, Rolling Stone, 9 Sep. 2023
Verb
Its downfall is the brioche, which ended up soggy and mushed in the bag. Amanda Finnegan, Washington Post, 19 Jan. 2024 To make pie, pumpkins are smashed, have their seeds removed and then are strained and mushed into a puree. Abby Hamblin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Nov. 2023 For the most part, according to race marshal Mark Nordman, conditions are good, with plenty of snow cover along much of the route but several trouble spots that could make for rugged mushing conditions. Michelle Theriault Boots, Anchorage Daily News, 2 Mar. 2023 Matt Hall mushed through blowing and drifting snow in the last miles between Safety and Nome before conditions stilled to a calm and sunny afternoon. Michelle Theriault Boots, Anchorage Daily News, 15 Mar. 2023 In the follow-up clip, the lifestyle expert takes the leftover pie and mushes it together in a large bowl. Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 17 Aug. 2023 Redington was mushing with plates removed from Wildfire’s leg hanging from his sled handlebars, according to an Iditarod blog post. Zachariah Hughes, Anchorage Daily News, 14 Mar. 2023 The design mushed together the noncomplementary traits of both brands: a slender black-leather upper with Gucci’s signature brass horsebit hardware, three white stripes on either side, and an inch-tall wooden heel stamped with a golden Adidas trefoil logo. Amanda Mull, The Atlantic, 18 Aug. 2023 Set the cored lemon on a plate, and mush the inside with a fork. Rachelle Doorley, Parents, 16 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mush.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

probably alteration of mash

Verb (2)

probably from French marchons, 1st plural imperative of marcher to move, march, from Middle French marchier — more at march

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1671, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (1)

circa 1781, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Verb (2)

1862, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1902, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mush was in 1671

Dictionary Entries Near mush

Cite this Entry

“Mush.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mush. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

mush

1 of 3 noun
1
: cornmeal boiled in water or milk
2
: something soft and spongy or shapeless
3
: sickeningly sweet sentimentality
mushily
-ə-lē
adverb
mushy
adjective

mush

2 of 3 verb
: to travel over snow with a sled drawn by dogs
often used as a command to a dog team
musher noun

mush

3 of 3 noun
: a trip across snow with a dog team
Etymology

Noun

probably an altered form of mash

Verb

probably from French marchons "let's move," from marcher "to move, march"

More from Merriam-Webster on mush

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