What does tush mean?
Tush is chiefly a British informal noun for the buttocks. It often appears in playful, mildly euphemistic, or deliberately old-fashioned contexts, and its sound can suggest bashfulness or comic exaggeration rather than the bluntness of a word such as backside. In North American English the word is also understood, though it is much less common than in Britain and may sound quaint or deliberately comic. Older and regional English has also used tush for a tuft of grass, a sense now largely confined to historical, literary, or dialect contexts. When modern speakers say tush, they are normally referring to the body rather than vegetation. The word can be useful in fiction and dialogue when the aim is a British, informal, understated tone, but it would usually be unsuitable in formal prose or where neutral anatomical wording is needed. Its value is largely social and stylistic: it conveys familiarity, humor, or mock decorum while remaining less crude than several more explicit alternatives.
nounAn informal, chiefly British word for the buttocks. In older or regional use, it can also mean a tuft of grass.
- The buttocks, especially when referred to informally or humorously.
- A tuft of grass, in older or regional usage.
"He turned too quickly and landed squarely on his tush."
"He turned too quickly and landed squarely on his tush."
"Cartoonists often used an oversized tush to signal comic exaggeration."
The regular plural is tushes, although the word is normally used in the singular for the buttocks collectively.
"The puppies proudly presented their tushes to the delighted audience."
One old meaning of tush is a tuft of grass; its modern star turn is far less botanical.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of tush
The precise ultimate origin of tush is uncertain, so it should not confidently be assigned to a particular cognate family. The word is attested in early modern English, and an older sense referred to a tuft of grass. Its modern everyday association, however, is with the buttocks, especially in informal British speech.
Related word forms
How tush is actually used
Chiefly British and informal; it may sound playful, mildly euphemistic, quaint, or deliberately old-fashioned. It is understood in US English but is less common there. The older sense meaning a tuft of grass is now chiefly historical, literary, or dialectal.
Easily confused with tush
A tusk is a projecting tooth, especially of an elephant, boar, or walrus, whereas tush most commonly means the buttocks.