mush·room
ˈməsh-ˌrüm 
-ˌru̇m;
chiefly Northern and Midland US -ˌrün;
dialectal ˈmə-shə-ˌrüm,
-ˌru̇m,
-ˌrün
mushroomed; mushrooming; mushrooms
Synonyms
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
Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 16 Apr. 2024
Inspectors observed an employee grabbing hamburger patties with gloves, then touching raw onions and mushrooms without properly washing their hands, according to the April 3 report.
—Jacqueline Pinedo, Sacramento Bee, 12 Apr. 2024
One of the elder members appears to be in charge of testing the local berries and mushrooms for possible toxins—an alluring, comically cartoonish red-and-white toadstool ultimately leads to trouble.
—Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 12 Apr. 2024
On the other end of the spectrum are rubbery, gray mushrooms that are less than ideal to consume.
—Aaron Hutcherson, Washington Post, 12 Apr. 2024
Add mushrooms, onion and ginger, and cook, stirring, until golden and tender, 7 to 10 minutes.
2.
—Melissa Clark, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Apr. 2024
For a vegan diet, these mushrooms can be a good source of vitamin D, depending on how they are grown.
—Bethany Thayer, Detroit Free Press, 6 Apr. 2024
There are many different types of taste buds, but all have stalks and papilla that round out with undercuts under the stalks, similar to the shape of a mushroom, explains Dr. Fraundorf.
—Daley Quinn, Verywell Health, 1 Apr. 2024
Fried mushrooms explode out of soft torpedo rolls, joined by crunchy iceberg lettuce, coriander pickles and an acidic remoulade, with a side of housemade potato chips.
—Benjy Egel, Sacramento Bee, 1 Apr. 2024
Loveday Morris The Washington Post, arkansasonline.com, 30 Mar. 2024
But awareness of attacks that appear to be localized to Lower Manhattan has mushroomed across social media in the past week, largely thanks to TikTok’s unique algorithm.
—Kim Bellware, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024
At the site of the massacre, an impromptu memorial had mushroomed into a mountain of flowers, candles, and other tributes by Sunday evening.
—Charles Maynes, NPR, 25 Mar. 2024
In the first and its 31 pitches’ worth of trouble, an inning that would mushroom into disaster for scores of pitchers — especially against these Dodgers — Musgrove wrestled things back to stable by allowing only one run.
—Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Mar. 2024
Away from its luxury hotels and affluent suburbs, residents in mushrooming shack settlements without basic services often share a water pump and portable chemical toilets.
—Lynsey Chutel, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2024
The one-man sit-in mushroomed in the weeks after the attacks.
—Roni Caryn Rabin, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2024
Although the museum had pledged as recently as two years ago to spend at least $30 million on the memorial park, the cost has mushroomed since then.
—Lori Weisberg, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Feb. 2024
Meanwhile, the cost of Senate races in Arizona has mushroomed in recent years.
—Ronald J. Hansen, The Arizona Republic, 21 Jan. 2024
Noun
Get The Recipe 02 of 42 Hot Chicken Salad
This old-school dish combines creamy chicken salad with pimientos, mushrooms, and water chestnuts.
—Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 16 Apr. 2024
Inspectors observed an employee grabbing hamburger patties with gloves, then touching raw onions and mushrooms without properly washing their hands, according to the April 3 report.
—Jacqueline Pinedo, Sacramento Bee, 12 Apr. 2024
One of the elder members appears to be in charge of testing the local berries and mushrooms for possible toxins—an alluring, comically cartoonish red-and-white toadstool ultimately leads to trouble.
—Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 12 Apr. 2024
On the other end of the spectrum are rubbery, gray mushrooms that are less than ideal to consume.
—Aaron Hutcherson, Washington Post, 12 Apr. 2024
Add mushrooms, onion and ginger, and cook, stirring, until golden and tender, 7 to 10 minutes.
2.
—Melissa Clark, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Apr. 2024
For a vegan diet, these mushrooms can be a good source of vitamin D, depending on how they are grown.
—Bethany Thayer, Detroit Free Press, 6 Apr. 2024
There are many different types of taste buds, but all have stalks and papilla that round out with undercuts under the stalks, similar to the shape of a mushroom, explains Dr. Fraundorf.
—Daley Quinn, Verywell Health, 1 Apr. 2024
Fried mushrooms explode out of soft torpedo rolls, joined by crunchy iceberg lettuce, coriander pickles and an acidic remoulade, with a side of housemade potato chips.
—Benjy Egel, Sacramento Bee, 1 Apr. 2024
Verb
Since then, however, the number qualifying for exemption has mushroomed, and the ultra-Orthodox make up 13% of the population.
—Loveday Morris The Washington Post, arkansasonline.com, 30 Mar. 2024
But awareness of attacks that appear to be localized to Lower Manhattan has mushroomed across social media in the past week, largely thanks to TikTok’s unique algorithm.
—Kim Bellware, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024
At the site of the massacre, an impromptu memorial had mushroomed into a mountain of flowers, candles, and other tributes by Sunday evening.
—Charles Maynes, NPR, 25 Mar. 2024
In the first and its 31 pitches’ worth of trouble, an inning that would mushroom into disaster for scores of pitchers — especially against these Dodgers — Musgrove wrestled things back to stable by allowing only one run.
—Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Mar. 2024
Away from its luxury hotels and affluent suburbs, residents in mushrooming shack settlements without basic services often share a water pump and portable chemical toilets.
—Lynsey Chutel, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2024
The one-man sit-in mushroomed in the weeks after the attacks.
—Roni Caryn Rabin, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2024
Although the museum had pledged as recently as two years ago to spend at least $30 million on the memorial park, the cost has mushroomed since then.
—Lori Weisberg, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Feb. 2024
Meanwhile, the cost of Senate races in Arizona has mushroomed in recent years.
—Ronald J. Hansen, The Arizona Republic, 21 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mushroom.' 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
Middle English musheron, from Anglo-French musherum, musseron, from Late Latin mussirion-, mussirio
First Known Use
Noun
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Verb
1893, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Time Traveler
The first known use of mushroom was
in the 15th century
Phrases Containing mushroom
Articles Related to mushroom
Dictionary Entries Near mushroom
Cite this Entry
“Mushroom.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mushroom. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
mushroom
1 of 2 noun
mush·room
ˈməsh-ˌrüm
-ˌru̇m
1
: a fleshy part of a fungus that bears spores, grows above ground, and consists usually of a stem bearing a flattened cap
especially
: one that is edible
2
mushroom
2 of 2 verb
: to appear or develop suddenly or increase rapidly
the population mushroomed
Medical Definition
mushroom
noun
mush·room
ˈməsh-ˌrüm
-ˌru̇m
-ˌru̇m
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
More from Merriam-Webster on mushroom
Nglish: Translation of mushroom for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of mushroom for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about mushroom
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share