crush

American  

[kruhsh] / krʌʃ /

verb (used with object)

1. to press or squeeze with a force that destroys or deforms.

   Synonyms:

   rumple, crumple

2. to squeeze or pound into small fragments or particles, as ore, stone, etc.

   Synonyms:

   crumble, mash, powder, pulverize

3. to force out by pressing or squeezing; extract.

   to crush cottonseeds in order to produce oil.

4. to rumple; wrinkle; crease.

5. to smooth or flatten by pressure.

   to crush leather.

6. to hug or embrace forcibly or strongly.

   He crushed her in his arms.

7. to destroy, subdue, or suppress utterly.

   to crush a revolt.

   Synonyms:

   quash, overcome, quell

8. to overwhelm with confusion, chagrin, or humiliation, as by argumentation or a slighting action or remark; squelch.

9. to oppress grievously.

10. Archaic. to finish drinking (wine, ale, etc.).

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verb (used without object)

1. to become crushed.

2. to advance with crushing; press or crowd forcibly.

noun

1. the act of crushing; state of being crushed.

2. a great crowd.

   a crush of shoppers.

3. Informal.

   1. an intense but usually short-lived infatuation with someone.

   2. the object of such an infatuation.

      Who's your latest crush?

verb phrase

1. crush on to have an infatuation with; have a crush on.

   She’s been crushing on him for a year.

idioms

1. crush it, to do something very well and with enthusiasm.

crush ¹ British  

/ krʌʃ /

verb

1. to press, mash, or squeeze so as to injure, break, crease, etc

2. to break or grind (rock, ore, etc) into small particles

3. to put down or subdue, esp by force

   to crush a rebellion

4. to extract (juice, water, etc) by pressing

   to crush the juice from a lemon

5. to oppress harshly

6. to hug or clasp tightly

   he crushed her to him

7. to defeat or humiliate utterly, as in argument or by a cruel remark

8. (intr) to crowd; throng

9. (intr) to become injured, broken, or distorted by pressure

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noun

1. a dense crowd, esp at a social occasion

2. the act of crushing; pressure

3. a drink or pulp prepared by or as if by crushing fruit

   orange crush

4. informal

   1. an infatuation

      she had a crush on him

   2. the person with whom one is infatuated

crush ² British  

/ krʌʃ /

noun

1. vet science a construction designed to confine and limit the movement of an animal, esp a large or dangerous animal, for examination or to perform a procedure on it

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crush More Idioms  

1. see have a crush on.

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Related Words

See break.

Other Word Forms

• crushability
  noun
• crushable
  adjective
• crushably
  adverb
• crusher
  noun
• uncrushable
  adjective
• uncrushed
  adjective
• well-crushed
  adjective

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.

Example Sentences

Charles laughed, albeit slightly embarrassingly, when Trump said in a speech at the White House that his Scottish-born mother had had a crush on the then-prince.

From Barron's • May 1, 2026

Qualcomm is standing out among the newsmakers of Wednesday’s after-hours crush.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 30, 2026

Producers roast the rounded hearts of agave plants in fire pits or kilns, then crush and ferment the cooked material before distilling it in smaller batches.

From Science Daily • Apr. 26, 2026

Nunley said the system is struggling to keep up with the crush of cases.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 19, 2026

“On Thursday night, revenge will be ours. Timothy Bartlett shall transform into the Great Timdini! His magic act will crush Ainsley’s cello piece.”

From "Shine!" by J.J. and Chris Grabenstein

Related Words

• annihilate
• beat
• defeat
• demolish
• kill
• overcome
• overpower
• overwhelm
• quell
• ruin
• squelch
• stamp out
• strangle
• subdue
• suppress
• vanquish
• wreck