crush
Americanverb (used with object)
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to press or squeeze with a force that destroys or deforms.
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to squeeze or pound into small fragments or particles, as ore, stone, etc.
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to force out by pressing or squeezing; extract.
to crush cottonseeds in order to produce oil.
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to rumple; wrinkle; crease.
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to smooth or flatten by pressure.
to crush leather.
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to hug or embrace forcibly or strongly.
He crushed her in his arms.
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to destroy, subdue, or suppress utterly.
to crush a revolt.
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to overwhelm with confusion, chagrin, or humiliation, as by argumentation or a slighting action or remark; squelch.
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to oppress grievously.
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Archaic. to finish drinking (wine, ale, etc.).
verb (used without object)
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to become crushed.
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to advance with crushing; press or crowd forcibly.
noun
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the act of crushing; state of being crushed.
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a great crowd.
a crush of shoppers.
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Informal.
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an intense but usually short-lived infatuation with someone.
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the object of such an infatuation.
Who's your latest crush?
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verb phrase
idioms
verb
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to press, mash, or squeeze so as to injure, break, crease, etc
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to break or grind (rock, ore, etc) into small particles
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to put down or subdue, esp by force
to crush a rebellion
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to extract (juice, water, etc) by pressing
to crush the juice from a lemon
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to oppress harshly
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to hug or clasp tightly
he crushed her to him
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to defeat or humiliate utterly, as in argument or by a cruel remark
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(intr) to crowd; throng
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(intr) to become injured, broken, or distorted by pressure
noun
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a dense crowd, esp at a social occasion
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the act of crushing; pressure
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a drink or pulp prepared by or as if by crushing fruit
orange crush
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informal
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an infatuation
she had a crush on him
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the person with whom one is infatuated
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noun
Synonym Usage
See break.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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crushernoun
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crushablyadverb
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well-crushedadjective
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crushableadjective
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uncrushableadjective
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uncrushedadjective
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crushabilitynoun
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has crushedperfect 3rd person singular
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have crushedperfect
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is crushingprogressive 3rd person singular
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am crushingprogressive 1st person singular
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are crushingprogressive
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has been crushingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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have been crushingperfect progressive
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crushessingular 3rd person
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crushingparticiple
Past
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had crushedperfect
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had been crushingperfect progressive
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were crushingprogressive plural
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was crushingprogressive singular
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crushedsimple
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crushedparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of crush
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English cruschen, crusshen, from Middle French croi(s)sir, cruisir “to gnash one's teeth, make a crashing or cracking sound, crackle, rustle, smash,” Medieval Latin cruscīre “to crackle,” from Germanic; compare Gothic kriustan “to crunch, grind,” Old Swedish krusa, krosa “to crush,” krȳsta “to gnash (one's teeth),” Middle Low German krossen “to crush”
Explanation
When you crush something, you break it into tiny pieces or crumple it. If you crush the cans in your recycling bin, you'll make more room for more. A train can crush a car that's stalled on the tracks, and a person can crush an insect between her fingers. A figurative meaning of crush is to subdue or stop, like when a military dictator's forces crush a rebel uprising. You can also use crush as a noun to mean "an overwhelming number," like a crush of bodies on a packed subway car, or to describe infatuation, like your crush on your attractive neighbor, who also can be called your crush.
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Directions Roughly chop or lightly crush some of the capers with the side of a fork, leaving plenty whole for texture.
From Salon • Jun. 9, 2026
New York police recently used bulldozers to crush more than 200 seized dirt bikes and scooters, calling them a menace to public safety.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 7, 2026
"It really does crush the team but that's minuscule compared to the anxiety and the stress for the families."
From BBC • May 26, 2026
It means recognizing that the right response to a geopolitical supply constraint is not necessarily to crush demand.
From MarketWatch • May 22, 2026
Gia smiled, then used her marvel to crush the perfume bottle on the counter.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
