mash

1 of 5

verb (1)

mashed; mashing; mashes

transitive verb

1
a
: to reduce to a soft pulpy state by beating or pressure
b
: crush, smash
mash a finger
2
: to subject (a substance, such as crushed malt) to the action of water with heating and stirring in preparing wort

mash

2 of 5

noun (1)

1
: a mixture of ground feeds for livestock
2
: crushed malt or grain meal steeped and stirred in hot water to produce wort
3
: a soft pulpy mass
4
British : mashed potatoes

mash

3 of 5

noun (2)

mash

4 of 5

verb (2)

mashed; mashing; mashes

transitive verb

: to flirt with or seek the affection of

MASH

5 of 5

abbreviation

mobile army surgical hospital

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The irreducible fact, said Annabel Thomas, founder of Nc’nean distillery, is that some kind of fuel has to boil the mash and distill the alcohol. William Booth, Washington Post, 23 Mar. 2023 The labneh gives the mash a distinct, almost refreshing tang to go along with all that buttery creaminess. Julie Giuffrida, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2023 Besides, the ground was already covered in an electric yellow mash. Jon Mooallem Andrea Frazzetta, New York Times, 17 Mar. 2023 The 10% corn in the predominantly rye mash softens the edges of the spicy grain. Susan Choung, Good Housekeeping, 6 Mar. 2023 The sweet fruit is then transferred to a round, above-ground pit, where a traditional stone wheel, usually pulled by a donkey, breaks down the cooked agave into a mash. Omaid Homayun, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2023 Over at Two Temple Place, they were met by a Moët & Chandon champagne tower and Margot Henderson’s Sutton Hoo chicken, leek, and tarragon pie with mash. Ellie Pithers, Vogue, 30 Nov. 2022 Using potato masher, mash until all lumps are removed. USA TODAY, 19 Nov. 2022 What that refers to is the differences in mash bills, maturation and distillation methods (column still versus pot still, for example). Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 7 Nov. 2022
Verb
Reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently and pressing strawberries on the side of the saucepan to mash, until temperature on an instant-read thermometer reads 220°F, 10 to 15 minutes. Country Living, 9 May 2023 With a wooden spatula or flat wooden spoon, mix by gently tossing, so as not to mash the grains of rice. Betty Hallock, Los Angeles Times, 5 May 2023 Then, stepping on the accelerator and mashing it down through a palpable click triggers a mechanism called a detent that tells the car to get moving. Kristin Shaw, Popular Science, 27 Mar. 2023 While the tortillas are warming, in a medium bowl, mash the avocados, the lime juice and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt until smooth. Ellie Krieger, Washington Post, 2 Mar. 2023 Scoop flesh into a bowl and roughly mash with a fork. Gretchen Mckay, Hartford Courant, 9 Feb. 2023 Their difference in opinion leads to a mid-film twist that attempts to mash together The Stepford Wives with movies like Strange Days, Get Out, and Serenity, plus some commentary on toxic masculinity. Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2022 In his first week with Triple-A, Ortiz continued to mash in the manner that got him there, putting up an OPS of 1.124 with two doubles, a triple and a home run with three steals in as many tries to go along with it. Nathan Ruiz, Baltimore Sun, 6 Sep. 2022 In other words, Tripledot didn’t do much more than take ideas from two popular games and mash them together. Abram Brown, Forbes, 25 July 2022 See More

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

Middle English mash-, from Old English māx-; akin to Middle High German meisch mash

Noun (2)

perhaps from mash entry 1

First Known Use

Verb (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (1)

1577, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1870, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

1877, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mash was in the 13th century

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near mash

Cite this Entry

“Mash.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mash. Accessed 30 May. 2023.

Kids Definition

mash

1 of 2 noun
1
: crushed malt or grain meal soaked and stirred in hot water
2
: a mixture of ground feeds for livestock
3
: a soft pulpy mass

mash

2 of 2 verb
1
: to make into a soft pulpy mass by beating or pressure
2
: to expose crushed malt to the action of water with heating and stirring
masher noun

Medical Definition

MASH

abbreviation
mobile army surgical hospital

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