lush

1 of 3

adjective

ˈləsh 

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

lush

2 of 3

noun

1

slang : intoxicating liquor : drink

2

: a habitual heavy drinker : drunkard

lush

3 of 3

verb

lushed; lushing; lushes

transitive verb

1

slang : to consume (alcohol)

I left the clinic, went to a restaurant, and began lushing beer …

—Norma McCorvey

—often used with up

… lushing up Prohibition gin …

—Lawrence Lipton

'Tis the season for spiked eggnog. … But what if you never touch alcohol or need a break from lushing it up?

—Sheila Livadas

2

slang : to ply (someone) with alcohol

—often used with up

He found them in Fleet Market, and lushed them up with gin.

—Patrick Pringle

intransitive verb

: to consume alcohol : drink sense 2

—often used with up

"I've been lushing up here and there, which is bad for the intestine and doesn't help the soul much either …"

—John Clellon Holmes, quoted in Brother-Souls: John Clellon Holmes, Jack Kerouac, and the Beat Generation

Synonyms

Adjective

• green
• grown
• dense
• leafy
• fertile
• verdant
• rich

Noun

• alcoholic
• drunk

Verb

• liquor (up)
• drink

Choose the Right Synonym for 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

Examples of lush in a Sentence

Adjective

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

Noun

He's just an old lush.

she accused him of being a lush and a spendthrift

Verb

frat boys lushing up on beer during freshman rush

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

For the first installment, U.S. photographer Alec Soth shot the lush green scenery and karst limestone mountains near the Li river in Guilin. —Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 1 July 2025

Villas range from two to five bedrooms and feature private seawater pools, lush gardens, and breathtaking vistas of the cobalt bay. —Marcia Desanctis, Travel + Leisure, 30 June 2025

Noun

The key moment in the film is a montage of the lovers absconding to Chris’s Malibu getaway for a trip that’s ridiculously, car-commercial lush. —Alison Willmore, Vulture, 4 Dec. 2024

Verdict: Mulligan’s kooky cameo imbues this tragic lush with a dash of camp. —Peter Debruge, Variety, 24 Nov. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English lusch soft, tender

Noun

origin unknown

First Known Use

Adjective

1610, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

circa 1790, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

circa 1811, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for lush

• blush
• brush
• crush
• flush
• gush
• hush
• mush
• plush
• shush
• slush
• thrush
• airbrush

Kids Definition

lush

adjective

ˈləsh

1

: being juicy and fresh

lush grass

2

: covered with thick healthy growth

lush pastures

lushly adverb

lushness noun