mushroom

1 of 2

noun

mush·​room ˈməsh-ˌrüm How to pronounce mushroom (audio)
-ˌru̇m;
 chiefly Northern and Midland US  -ˌrün;
 dialectal  ˈmə-shə-ˌrüm,
-ˌru̇m,
-ˌrün
1
a
: an enlarged complex aboveground fleshy fruiting body of a fungus (such as a basidiomycete) that consists typically of a stem bearing a pileus
especially : one that is edible
b
: fungus
2
3
: something resembling a mushroom

mushroom

2 of 2

verb

mushroomed; mushrooming; mushrooms

intransitive verb

1
a
: to well up and spread out laterally from a central source
b
: to become enlarged or extended : grow
2
: to collect wild mushrooms
3
: to spring up suddenly or multiply rapidly

Examples of mushroom in a Sentence

Noun cut up some mushrooms for the salad Verb Interest in local history is suddenly mushrooming. Her hobby mushroomed into a thriving business. He goes mushrooming in the spring every year.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Morel mushrooms have started popping up in southern Indiana and the tasty morsels will spread north as spring and warmer weather arrives. Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 11 Mar. 2024 Recipes are built around both Blais’ creative food style, with approachable recipes for zucchini fritters, eggplant and chickpea samosas, jerk cauliflower steaks and a blended mushroom burger. Kate Bradshaw, The Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2024 Beef rice is one option; meat grown on mushroom roots is in development. Yasmin Tayag, The Atlantic, 8 Mar. 2024 Fried mushrooms explode out of soft torpedo rolls, joined by crunchy iceberg lettuce, coriander pickles and an acidic remoulade, with a side of housemade potato chips. Benjy Egel, Sacramento Bee, 7 Mar. 2024 Spread the mushroom mixture over this, evenly, to the edges of the ham. The Editors, Field & Stream, 6 Mar. 2024 But as new subdivisions mushroom across old ranch and prairie, some existing communities are left wanting another pillar of suburban life: places to shop. Jaime Moore-Carrillo, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Mar. 2024 The story was enriched a few months later, however, when a pair of mushroom foragers found Daniel’s and Sabina’s bodies in Barrow State Forest. Fiona McFarlane, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024 There was a miniature tart not much larger than a bottle cap, filled with firm raw fluke, maitake mushrooms glazed with Madeira, and crunchy threads of leek. Pete Wells, New York Times, 27 Feb. 2024
Verb
Away from its luxury hotels and affluent suburbs, residents in mushrooming shack settlements without basic services often share a water pump and portable chemical toilets. Lynsey Chutel, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2024 The one-man sit-in mushroomed in the weeks after the attacks. Roni Caryn Rabin, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2024 Although the museum had pledged as recently as two years ago to spend at least $30 million on the memorial park, the cost has mushroomed since then. Lori Weisberg, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Feb. 2024 Meanwhile, the cost of Senate races in Arizona has mushroomed in recent years. Ronald J. Hansen, The Arizona Republic, 21 Jan. 2024 From $554 The Hoxton Vienna (Austria) What started out as a single hotel in London’s trendy Hoxton district has mushroomed into a veritable empire of properties in 11 major cities around the world – and the 12th, Vienna, will be graced with a Hoxton in March. Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 5 Jan. 2024 The mushrooming workforce has boosted hiring and eased labor shortages. Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 4 Jan. 2024 And mushrooming feral cat populations put native species — particularly birds — at risk. María Luisa Paúl, Washington Post, 14 Feb. 2024 Novák did not address the pardon on X. She was forced to cut short her trip to Qatar and return to Budapest to address the mushrooming scandal. Benjamin Weinthal, Fox News, 10 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mushroom.' 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

Middle English musheron, from Anglo-French musherum, musseron, from Late Latin mussirion-, mussirio

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1893, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of mushroom was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near mushroom

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

mushroom

1 of 2 noun
mush·​room ˈməsh-ˌrüm How to pronounce mushroom (audio)
-ˌru̇m
1
: a fleshy part of a fungus that bears spores, grows above ground, and consists usually of a stem bearing a flattened cap
especially : one that is edible
2

mushroom

2 of 2 verb
: to appear or develop suddenly or increase rapidly
the population mushroomed

Medical Definition

mushroom

noun
1
: an enlarged complex fleshy fruiting body of a fungus (as most basidiomycetes) that arises from an underground mycelium and consists typically of a stem bearing a spore-bearing structure
especially : one that is edible compare toadstool
2

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