A thrush is a fairly small bird with a brown back and a spotted breast.
2. uncountable noun
Thrush is a medical condition caused by a fungus. It most often occurs in a baby's mouth or in a woman'svagina.
thrush in British English1
(θrʌʃ)
noun
any songbird of the subfamily Turdinae, esp those having a brown plumage with a spotted breast, such as the mistle thrush and song thrush: family Muscicapidae
Compare water thrush ▶ Related adjective: turdine
Word origin
Old English thrӯsce; related to Old High German drōsca; see throstle, throat
thrush in British English2
(θrʌʃ)
noun
1.
a.
a fungal disease of the mouth, esp of infants, and the genitals, characterized by the formation of whitish spots and caused by infection with the fungus Candida albicans
b. another word for sprue1
2.
a softening of the frog of a horse's hoof characterized by degeneration and a thick foul discharge
Word origin
C17: related to Old Danish törsk, Danish troske
thrush in American English1
(θrʌʃ)
noun
1.
any of numerous, medium-sized songbirds of the family Turdinae, usually dull brown and often speckled below, and including many outstanding singers
2.
any of various superficially similar birds, as the water thrushes
3. slang
a female professional singer, esp. of popular songs
Derived forms
thrushlike
adjective
Word origin
[bef. 900; ME thrusche, OE thrȳsce; c. OHG drōsca]
thrush in American English2
(θrʌʃ)
noun
1. Pathology
a disease, esp. in children, characterized by whitish spots and ulcers on the membranes of the mouth, fauces, etc., caused by a parasitic fungus Candida albicans
These birds are all small members of the thrush family.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
They are easily distinguished from song thrushes.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
They will often answer another song thrush singing far away.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
One of them can sometimes be heard singing at the same time as a nearby song thrush.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Song thrushes were singing constantly in the first three or four months of this year.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Song thrushes are singing two hours before sunrise.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
People on lengthy courses of antibiotics often note the presence of thrush in the mouth or reproductive organs after treatment.
Chaitow, Leon The Beat Fatigue Workbook - how to identify the causes (1988)
More winter thrushes are now here.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
The wood echoed with the song of thrushes and the whisper of young leaves as a breeze moved through the high branches.
various & introduction by Deirdre Chapman A Roomful of Birds - Scottish short stories 1990 (1990)
Do you suffer from thrush, fungal infections or yeast infections?
Martlew, Gillian & Silver, Shelley Stay Well This Winter (1989)
Why can't you hear song thrushes?
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
The cuckoo gets bigger and bigger; the little thrushes get smaller and smaller.
Christianity Today (2000)
Song thrush: in serious decline due to habitat destruction.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Wearing one for 12 hours a day can lead to skin chafing as well as infections caused by thrush or bacteria.
The Sun (2014)
If it is traumatised, the lining will not be as resistant as it was to infection by thrush or other usually harmless organisms.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
He thought I might have thrush of the mouth.
The Sun (2012)
They don't seem to be afraid of me, neither do the thrushes and robins.
Frances Hodgson Burnett Emily Fox-Seton (1901)
You, too, can hear the song thrush.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Constant use can cause weight gain, lethargy, sore throats and mouth thrush.
The Sun (2011)
There is a risk of fungal infections such as thrush or Candida, and a possibility of susceptibility to new infections.
Martlew, Gillian & Silver, Shelley (ed) The Medicine Chest - your family's guide to prescription drugs (1988)
Word lists with
thrush
bird, Human diseases, Animal diseases
In other languages
thrush
British English: thrush /θrʌʃ/ NOUN
A thrush is a small brown bird with small marks on its chest.
American English: thrush
Arabic: سُمْنَة
Brazilian Portuguese: tordo ave
Chinese: 画眉
Croatian: kandida
Czech: drozd
Danish: drossel
Dutch: lijster
European Spanish: tordo
Finnish: rastas
French: grive
German: Drossel
Greek: τσίχλα πτηνό
Italian: tordo
Japanese: ツグミ
Korean: 개똥지빠귀
Norwegian: trost
Polish: drozd
European Portuguese: tordo ave
Romanian: sturz
Russian: дрозд
Latin American Spanish: tordo
Swedish: trast
Thai: นกขนาดเล็กมีเสียงไพเราะ
Turkish: ardıç kuşu
Ukrainian: дрізд
Vietnamese: chim hét
All related terms of 'thrush'
ant thrush
any of various dull-coloured South American passerine birds of the family Formicariidae, such as Hylophylax naevioides ( spotted ant bird), that typically feed on ants
rock thrush
any of several Old World thrushes of the genus Monticola , usually having bluish plumage , esp. M. saxatilis , of Europe
song thrush
a common Old World thrush , Turdus philomelos, that has a brown back and spotted breast and is noted for its song
wood thrush
a large thrush ( Hylocichla mustelina ) of E North America, with a brown mantle and a white, dark-spotted breast , that has a sweet, clear song
hermit thrush
a North American thrush ( Catharus guttatus ) with a brown body, spotted breast , and reddish-brown tail
missel thrush
large European thrush
mistle thrush
a large European thrush , Turdus viscivorus, with a brown back and spotted breast , noted for feeding on mistletoe berries
shrike thrush
a person lacking in intelligence
water thrush
either of two North American warblers , Seiurus motacilla or S. noveboracensis, having a brownish back and striped underparts and tending to occur near water