mushroom

mush·room | \ ˈməsh-ˌrüm

, -ˌru̇m; chiefly Northern and Midland US -ˌrün; dialectal ˈmə-shə-ˌrüm, -ˌru̇m, -ˌrün\

Definition of mushroom

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : 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

mushroom

verb

mushroomed; mushrooming; mushrooms

Definition of mushroom (Entry 2 of 2)

intransitive verb

1a : 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

Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More about mushroom

Keep scrolling for more

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 Cook, stirring, until onions are translucent and mushrooms are golden, about 3 minutes. — Woman's Day Kitchen, Woman's Day, "Ghoulash Stew," 13 Sep. 2019 The trumpet mushrooms are dreamy and the tarragon sauce pleasant, but the overall dish is too toned down. — Daliah Singer, The Know, "Restaurant review: The food satisfies, but Jovanina’s good looks are what really entice diners," 6 Aug. 2019 The shiitake mushrooms, with their shock of acid, are the exception. — Washington Post, "Zeppelin is fun, but its sushi doesn’t quite fly," 1 Aug. 2019 The mushrooms should be a little softer and starting to break down after 45 minutes. — Bonnie S. Benwick, The Denver Post, "Fire up your summer with recipes from the season’s new grilling cookbooks," 24 June 2019 There are others in Mexico, where possession has been decriminalised, and Jamaica, where mushrooms are legal. — The Economist, "Psychedelic tourism is a niche but growing market," 7 June 2019 The little nuggets of mushrooms are chewy and meaty. — Rachel Karten, Bon Appétit, "This Mushroom Jerky Changed My Jerky-Loving Life," 13 Sep. 2019 Garfield gave an example from testing where a card asked players to identify which of the six options were types of mushrooms. — Wired, "The Jeopardy! Master is Making a Better Trivia Game," 25 Aug. 2019 Stretch a frozen cheese pizza with toppings of baby spinach, fresh mushrooms and sliced red bell peppers. — Bill St. John, The Denver Post, "How to make processed foods healthier," 14 Aug. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Balances have mushroomed in recent years to $1.5 trillion, making student loans second only to mortgages among consumer-lending categories. — Russ Wiles, azcentral, "Student loan debt: Strategies to pay it off faster, smarter," 3 Nov. 2019 The initial probe has mushroomed into related investigations in other nations because big Brazilian companies operated across Latin America and elsewhere in the world. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Bachelet denied campaign took money from Brazil OAS company," 17 Sep. 2019 After his mushrooming interest took root, Martin was approached by the Florida School of Holistic Living about hosting a class. — Patrick Connolly, orlandosentinel.com, "Florida’s fungi: Learn more about mushrooms with Central Florida’s ‘Fungi Jon’," 11 Sep. 2019 The lesson many Arab governments seem to have drawn from 2011’s Arab Spring unrest is that dissent, and even open political expression, can mushroom into political collapse and chaos. — David Mednicoff, The Conversation, "Why increasing Arab-Israeli closeness matters," 29 Aug. 2019 For Cleveland students, the services will help prevent small problems from mushrooming into major obstacles, Gordon said. — Patrick O'donnell, cleveland.com, "Say Yes to Education makes college a question of “where?” for Cleveland kids, not “if” City Club panelists say," 23 Aug. 2019 Even so, a report out today from Elephant Family finds that the trade in elephant skins—for medicinal powders and pills and for jewelry—has mushroomed since 2018. — National Geographic, "Elephant skin sales rapidly mounting," 12 Aug. 2019 The logistical challenges mushroomed almost as quickly as the local opposition. — BostonGlobe.com, "Looking back on Woodstock — the music, the people, the money," 22 Aug. 2019 Eviction case mushroomed into lawsuit with thousands of dollars at stake The Hamilton County case set for trial in October began as an eviction proceeding B.E.E. Holdings filed against Revolution Fitness in municipal court in July 2018. — Jeanne Houck, Cincinnati.com, "Judge: Doug Evans' fraud convictions relevant in unrelated trial," 22 Aug. 2019

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.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about mushroom

Dictionary Entries near mushroom

Statistics for mushroom

Last Updated

27 Oct 2019

Time Traveler for mushroom

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

See more words from the same century

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for mushroom

mushroom

noun

English Language Learners Definition of mushroom

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

mushroom

verb

English Language Learners Definition of mushroom (Entry 2 of 2)

: to increase or develop very quickly

: to collect wild mushrooms

See the full definition for mushroom in the English Language Learners Dictionary

mushroom

noun

mush·room | \ ˈməsh-ˌrüm

, -ˌru̇m\

Kids Definition of mushroom

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

mushroom

verb

mushroomed; mushrooming

Kids Definition of mushroom (Entry 2 of 2)

: to appear or develop suddenly or increase rapidly The town's population has mushroomed.

mushroom

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 sense 1

Keep scrolling for more