mushroom

play

noun mush·room \ ˈməsh-ˌrüm , -ˌru̇m ; chiefly Northern and Midland US -ˌrün ; dialectal ˈmə-shə-ˌrüm , -ˌru̇m , -ˌrün \

Definition of mushroom

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 :upstart

3 :something resembling a mushroom

See mushroom defined for English-language learners

See mushroom defined for kids

Examples of mushroom in a Sentence

cut up some mushrooms for the salad

Recent Examples of mushroom from the Web

The Whispering Beard grilled cheese was good, with mushrooms, spinach, pepper jack and ranch on Health Nut.

— polly campbell, Cincinnati.com, "Peace, Love and Hippie Hash in Warren County," 30 Aug. 2017
Wild strawberries grow in the forest, and mushrooms grow in the dirt.

— claire comstock-gay, The Cut, "Madame Clairevoyant: Horoscopes for the Week of August 28," 28 Aug. 2017
The cooked burger is topped with portobello mushrooms, caramelized onion and Havarti cheese ($16).

— lauren delgado, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Flavors of Spain come alive at La Merce in Winter Park," 10 Aug. 2017
Top with Italian-style chicken sausage links, mushrooms, and black olives.

— marian cooper cairns, Country Living, "Sausage, Mushroom, and Black Olive White Pizzas," 9 Aug. 2017
Nobody has surveyed Howard County pet owners specifically, but based on the proliferation of stores that specialize in healthier pet food, which are sprouting up like mushrooms after a storm, the trend is in full swing here.

— pete pichaske, Howard County Times, "Howard County's health-conscious pet owners turn to an array of specialty food," 2 Aug. 2017
Howard was suspended indefinitely after his June 14 arrest by University of Missouri police for alleged possession of marijuana and psilocybin mushrooms.

— tod palmer, kansascity, "Da’Ron Davis, O’shae Clark, three defensive linemen absent as Mizzou camp starts," 1 Aug. 2017
The team sacrificed some of the bees and isolated the genes active in the insects’ mushroom bodies, a part of the brain responsible for complex actions such as social behavior.

— elizabeth pennisi, Science | AAAS, "Antisocial bees share genetic profile with people with autism," 31 July 2017
The reality: In Trump’s America, there have been a few days when the forecast looked partly sunny with a chance of mushroom clouds.

— eric levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "Six Months In, Is Trump’s America Living Up to Liberals’ Worst Fears?," 22 July 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of mushroom

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

mushroom

verb

Definition of mushroom

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

See mushroom defined for English-language learners

Examples of mushroom in a Sentence

Interest in local history is suddenly mushrooming.
Her hobby mushroomed into a thriving business.
He goes mushrooming in the spring every year.

Recent Examples of mushroom from the Web

For paranoid McCarthyites, conspiracies mushroomed everywhere, spawned by their fear that Communist operatives were hiding in plain sight, plotting to bring down the nation.

— aaron carico, Teen Vogue, "5 Ways Fascism Has Existed in America Since the 1700s," 28 Aug. 2017
The market for LNG exports has mushroomed in the U.S., going from essentially zero to about 6 billion cubic feet per day in just over a year.

— rob nikolewski, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Sempra announces delay in LNG project," 4 Aug. 2017
Editorial-department hiring is up by about 140 in all since Baron arrived, including all the tech support and a video staff that has mushroomed to 70.

— james warren, vanityfair.com, "Is The New York Times vs. The Washington Post vs. Trump the Last Great Newspaper War?," 30 July 2017
At the same time, West Virginia health-care jobs have been mushrooming, and account for one of every five private-sector positions in the state, according to the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, a research group.

— daniel flatley, Bloomberg.com, "Trump's Coal Revival Vow Emboldens Miners to Shun Career Change," 20 July 2017
The blaze has mushroomed to 48,000 acres, an increase of about 23,000 acres compared to the day before.

— reuters, Alaska Dispatch News, "Massive wildfire destroys dozens of structures in California," 20 July 2017
As a result, the price of panels plummeted 80% over the last two years as demand has mushroomed.

— TIME.com, "The world’s largest floating solar farm," 18 July 2017
In the past decade, the number of scientists coming from around the world to use the collection has mushroomed from around 150 a year to as many as 500.

— lorraine boissoneault, Smithsonian, "The Middle East Is a Treasure Trove of Natural Wonders. Now It Has a Museum to Show Them Off," 12 July 2017
Morales constricted the women into prostitution by mushrooming their debt, threatening their families’ lives and even threatening to feed one woman to alligators in the Everglades.

— david j. neal, miamiherald, "Smuggling women from Cuba to Miami for sex gets pimp 30 years," 9 July 2017

First Known Use of mushroom

1893

mushroom Synonyms

Synonyms

accelerate, accumulate, appreciate, balloon, boom, build up, burgeon (also bourgeon), climb, enlarge, escalate, expand, gain, mount, multiply, increase, proliferate, rise, roll up, snowball, spread, swell, wax

Antonyms

contract, decrease, diminish, dwindle, lessen, recede, wane

Related Words

jump, rocket, skyrocket, surge; heighten, intensify, redouble; blow up, bulk, distend, inflate, puff (up); crescendo, crest, peak

MUSHROOM Defined for English Language Learners

mushroom

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noun

Definition of mushroom for English Language Learners

: a fungus that is shaped like an umbrella; especially : one that can be eaten

mushroom

verb

Definition of mushroom for English Language Learners

: to increase or develop very quickly
: to collect wild mushrooms

MUSHROOM Defined for Kids

mushroom

play

noun mush·room \ ˈməsh-ˌrüm , -ˌru̇m \

Definition of mushroom for Students

:a part of a fungus that bears spores, grows above ground, and suggests an umbrella in shape

mushroom

verb

Definition of mushroom for Students

mushroomed; mushrooming

:to appear or develop suddenly or increase rapidly

The town's population has mushroomed.

Medical Dictionary

mushroom

play

noun mush·room \ ˈməsh-ˌrüm , -ˌru̇m \

medical Definition of mushroom

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 :fungus 1