Plush
adj, name, noun, verb ·Moderate ·High school level
Definitions
- 1 A textile fabric with a nap or shag on one side, longer and softer than the nap of velvet. countable, uncountable
"Mr. Cooke had had a sloop yacht built at Far Harbor, the completion of which had been delayed, and which was but just delivered. […] The Maria had a cabin, which was finished in hard wood and yellow plush, and accommodations for keeping things cold."
- 2 a fabric with a nap that is longer and softer than velvet wordnet
- 3 A plush toy. countable, uncountable
"When Play Along — the holder of the Care Bears master toy license — placed Care Bears plushes in Spencer Gifts last year, tweens and teenage girls bought the toys."
- 1 To give a soft, fluffy surface to. transitive
"Green moss plushed the boulders that were stewn ^([sic]) about, reaching up to splash the cliffs with a velvet mantle."
- 1 Very extravagant. UK
- 2 Very expensive, or appearing expensive; opulent, luxurious. UK
"They lived in a plush apartment complex."
- 3 Having a soft, fluffy exterior (of a man-made object, especially stuffed animals or upholstery).
"This plush toy is so cute and soft — I want it!"
- 1 characterized by extravagance and profusion wordnet
- 1 A census-designated place in Lake County, Oregon, United States.
Example
More examples"After the calves are weaned they are moved to the plush river-flats for fattening."
Etymology
From French peluche (“fluff, plush”). The fact that historically (in past centuries) plush upholstery was so expensive as to be socially exclusive undoubtedly connects the senses of "luxurious" and "soft".
Related phrases
More for "plush"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.