Meaning & use
thrush
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Meanings
noununcountablemedical
A common infection caused by a yeast, often affecting the mouth or vagina, producing white patches and itching.
Grammar: Uncountable when referring to the medical condition: 'She has thrush.' Do not say 'a thrush' for the illness.
Patterns
- have thrush
- get thrush
- oral thrush
- vaginal thrush
Babies often get oral thrush, which appears as white patches in the mouth.
She went to the doctor because she thought she had thrush.
Thrush can be treated with antifungal medicine.
nouncountablebiology
A small or medium-sized songbird with brownish or spotted feathers, known for its loud, clear song.
Grammar: Countable: one thrush, two thrushes. Often used with 'a' or 'the'.
Patterns
- a song thrush
- a mistle thrush
- hear a thrush singing
A thrush was singing beautifully in the garden this morning.
We spotted a song thrush near the edge of the woods.
Thrushes are known for their complex songs.
Word forms
| plural | thrushes |
|---|
Common combinations
- oral thrush
- Oral thrush is common in babies and older people.
- vaginal thrush
- Vaginal thrush can cause itching and discharge.
- song thrush
- The song thrush is famous for repeating phrases in its song.
- mistle thrush
- A mistle thrush was eating berries in the tree.
- get thrush
- You can get thrush after taking antibiotics.
Synonyms and how they differ
- candidiasis
- The medical term for the infection; more formal and used by doctors.
- yeast infection
- A general term for infections caused by yeast, including thrush.
Commonly confused: thrush or brush?
thrush vs brush
A brush is a tool for cleaning or painting; thrush is a bird or an infection. They sound similar but are unrelated.
Practice
The baby had white patches in her mouth, so the doctor said it was ______.
Choose one answer.
When thrush refers to the infection, it is uncountable, so you say 'it was thrush' without 'a' or 'the'. 'A thrush' would mean a bird, which does not fit the context of white patches in the mouth.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “thrush”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.