sushi

noun

: a category of Japanese dishes (such as nigiri and sushi rolls) that are typically made with vinegar-dressed rice topped or rolled with raw or cooked seafood, vegetables, or cooked egg and often other ingredients (such as nori, avocado, or cucumber)
going out for sushi
a sushi bar/restaurant
Shinjuku, which takes its name from a Tokyo rail station, uses robots and miniature bullet trains with a constantly rotating conveyor belt to deliver sushi to diners.—Sue Gleiter

Note: While sashimi is sometimes considered a type of sushi, the two are more typically distinguished from one another.

… open New Year's Eve, serving sushi, sashimi and a blend of Japanese and Japanese-American dishes …—Bradley Hohulin
see also sushi rice

Examples of sushi in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The intimate restaurant has just seven counter seats and serves Edomae-style sushi using seasonal ingredients from Hokkaido and across Japan, with omakase priced from 36,000 yen. — Ryma Chikhoune, Footwear News, 25 Oct. 2026 Kampai Don't let Jackson's thousand-mile distance from the ocean throw you off the scent of fresh seafood—this town serves up some seriously good sushi. — Lindsay Cohn, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2026 The new store in Duarte has a SushiOro, an in-store sushi market featuring rolls and signature sauces developed by Vallarta’s chefs. — Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026 The warewash machine was also not sanitizing, and there was buildup on the blade of the table-top can opener, ice chute in the ice machine, inside the table-top air oven in the sushi area and throughout the microwave in main kitchen. — Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 22 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for sushi

Word History

Etymology

Japanese

First Known Use

1879, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sushi was in 1879

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sushi.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sushi. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Kids Definition

sushi

noun
: cold rice formed into any of various shapes and topped or wrapped with pieces of often raw seafood or vegetables

More from Merriam-Webster on sushi

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster