lush

adjective \ ˈləsh \

Updated on: 17 Apr 2018

Definition of lush

1 a : growing vigorously especially with luxuriant foliage

lush grass

b : lavishly productive: such as

(1) : fertile

lush farmland

(2) : thriving

the lush idealism of the prewar period
—F. B. Millett

(3) : characterized by abundance : plentiful

lush campaign contributions
—Fulton Lewis

(4) : prosperous, profitable

firms with lush contracts

2 a : savory, delicious

a lush apple pie

b : appealing to the senses

the lush sounds of the orchestra

c : opulent, sumptuous

lush accommodations

—

lushly

adverb

—

lushness

noun

See lush defined for English-language learners

See lush defined for kids

Examples of lush in a Sentence

The frequent rainfall encourages the lush growth of trees, ferns, and shrubs.
She always wanted to live on a lush Caribbean island.
The hills are lush with deep, thick grass.
a lush and fruity wine

Recent Examples of lush from the Web

The road offers spectacular views down to lush forests below and dives right into the forests on the way to Corralitos.

— San Francisco Chronicle, "The 5 best bike rides around Santa Cruz," 11 Apr. 2018
The colors are saturated, and the music is lush, beautiful, and square: Barbra Streisand, Peggy Lee, Anthony Newley.

— caitlin flanagan, The Atlantic, "The Impossible Duality of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," 9 Apr. 2018
Glide along the Voyageurs Pathway, taking in spectacular views of Canada’s Supreme Court and Parliament buildings, then return to Ottawa over the Alexandra Bridge and enter Major’s Hill Park to take in the lush greenery.

— destination canada, Bon Appetit, "A Cyclist’s Guide to Ottawa’s Culinary Scene," 9 Apr. 2018
Sunflowers Believe it or not, large and lush sunflowers are surprisngly simple to grow.

— janine puhak, Fox News, "5 easy flowers to plant this spring," 2 Apr. 2018
Where Wiley’s piece is exuberant and lush, Sherald’s is spare, casting the First Lady as the focus.

— maya rhodan, Time, "'A Game Changer.' How a Painting of President Obama Broke the Rules," 14 Feb. 2018
Image Image Image Moving west into Beverly Hills and Bel-Air, the street becomes wide and lush and curving.

— New York Times, "Where the Real Los Angeles Meets the Dream," 20 Jan. 2018
Outside, there's a paver patio surrounded by lush landscaping.

— jack flemming, latimes.com, "Marc Maron’s home and famous podcasting garage hit the market in Highland Park," 27 Mar. 2018
This country is lush, with vast areas of untilled land, and nobody should go hungry.

— nicholas kristof, Anchorage Daily News, "‘Conflict is more profitable than peace’," 26 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'lush.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of lush

Middle English lusch soft, tender

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1610

See Words from the same year

lush Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of lush

profuse, lavish, prodigal, luxuriant, lush, exuberant mean giving or given out in great abundance. profuse implies pouring forth without restraint.

- profuse apologies

lavish suggests an unstinted or unmeasured profusion.

- a lavish party

prodigal implies reckless or wasteful lavishness threatening to lead to early exhaustion of resources.

- prodigal spending

luxuriant suggests a rich and splendid abundance.

- a luxuriant beard

lush suggests rich, soft luxuriance.

- a lush green lawn

exuberant implies marked vitality or vigor in what produces abundantly.

- an exuberant imagination

lush

noun

Definition of lush

1 slang : intoxicating liquor : drink

2 : a habitual heavy drinker : drunkard

See lush defined for English-language learners

Examples of lush in a Sentence

He's just an old lush.
she accused him of being a lush and a spendthrift

Recent Examples of lush from the Web

God of War is the kind of lush, expensive single-player experience that has become increasingly rare in a world where online, service-heavy titles have come to dominate blockbuster games.

— andrew webster, The Verge, "God of War review: an incredible reimagining of a PlayStation icon," 12 Apr. 2018
The ashram was situated on a lush, four-acre piece of property in the center of Pune called Koregaon Park, where maharajas used to live.

— win mccormack, The New Republic, "A Beautiful Place for an Ashram," 12 Apr. 2018
And Tchaikovsky’s lush scored (played live) adds immeasurably to the magic and romance.

— karen campbell, BostonGlobe.com, "Family Entertainment: Dance picks," 12 Apr. 2018
The lush, south Florida vegetation makes the place feel private and secluded.

— stephen franklin, chicagotribune.com, "Hotel or commune? New wave of lodging is aimed at digital nomads who want more than Wi-Fi," 12 Apr. 2018
Other benefits to a summer visit are the beautiful lush gardens and the fragrant blooming lavender field; visitors can cut their own bundle or otherwise buy some at the shop.

— special to the oregonian, OregonLive.com, "Gerry Frank's picks: Historic buildings have new life in Dayton," 7 Apr. 2018
His blond, fuzzy natal pelage has given way to the lush, chocolate brown coat of an adult.

— lynda v. mapes, The Seattle Times, "From Seattle to Vancouver: See how Rialto the otter, once near death, is thriving," 24 Mar. 2018
Eat low-calorie and lush with the parchment-packet cooking method.

— Country Living, "Leeks and Halibut in Parchment," 10 Jan. 2011
In total, residents can make use of 33 rooms and amble over 20 acres of lush, rolling meadow.

— rachel tepper paley, Bloomberg.com, "A Belgian Castle Famously Painted by Peter Paul Rubens Is for Sale," 26 Feb. 2018

Origin and Etymology of lush

origin unknown

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1790

See Words from the same year

Other Alcoholic Beverage Terms

finish, gimlet, mull, sake, setup, sommelier, syllabub, vintner, wassail

lush

verb

Definition of lush

slang

: drink

First Known Use of lush

circa 1811

Other Alcoholic Beverage Terms

finish, gimlet, mull, sake, setup, sommelier, syllabub, vintner, wassail

LUSH Defined for English Language Learners

lush

adjective

Definition of lush for English Language Learners

: having a lot of full and healthy growth
: covered with healthy green plants
: having a pleasingly rich quality

lush

noun

Definition of lush for English Language Learners

: a person who is often drunk

LUSH Defined for Kids

lush

adjective \ ˈləsh \

Definition of lush for Students

lusher; lushest

1 : characterized by full and healthy growth

lush grass

2 : covered with a thick growth of healthy plants

a lush tropical island

3 : luxurious 1

a lush hotel lobby

—

lushly

adverb

—

lushness

noun

Learn More about lush

See words that rhyme with lush Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for lush Spanish Central: Translation of lush Nglish: Translation of lush for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of lush for Arabic speakers

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lush

Definition of lush

lushly

lushness

Examples of lush in a Sentence

Recent Examples of lush from the Web

Origin and Etymology of lush

lush Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

Synonym Discussion of lush

lush

Definition of lush

Examples of lush in a Sentence

Recent Examples of lush from the Web

Origin and Etymology of lush

Other Alcoholic Beverage Terms

lush

Definition of lush

First Known Use of lush

Other Alcoholic Beverage Terms

LUSH Defined for English Language Learners

lush

Definition of lush for English Language Learners

lush

Definition of lush for English Language Learners

LUSH Defined for Kids

lush

Definition of lush for Students

lushly

lushness

Learn More about lush

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