Lush describes plants that grow thick, healthy, and abundant. A lush garden overflows with green leaves and bright flowers. A lush forest has trees so full and close together that their branches create a living ceiling. Tropical rainforests are especially lush because the warm, wet climate helps plants grow like crazy.

The word captures that sense of rich, almost excessive growth. Think of the difference between a few scraggly bushes and a wall of green so thick you can barely see through it. When explorers first saw the lush jungles of the Amazon, they marveled at vegetation so dense it blocked out the sun.

Lush can also describe anything that feels luxuriously rich and abundant. A hotel might have lush velvet curtains or lush carpeting that your feet sink into. Musicians talk about lush orchestral arrangements when the music sounds full and layered. The word suggests pleasing, almost overwhelming richness. When something is lush, there's a feeling of generous abundance, like nature or human creativity at full power.