squash

¹

[skwosh, skwawsh]

verb (used with object)

1. to press into a flat mass or pulp; crush.

   She squashed the flower under her heel.

2. to suppress or put down; quash.

   Synonyms: repress, crush, quell

3. to silence or disconcert (someone), as with a crushing retort or emotional or psychological pressure.

4. to press forcibly against or cram into a small space; squeeze.

verb (used without object)

1. to be pressed into a flat mass or pulp.

2. (of a soft, heavy body) to fall heavily.

3. to make one's way with a splashing sound; splash.

4. to be capable of being or likely to be squashed.

   Tomatoes squash easily.

5. to squeeze or crowd; crush.

noun

1. the act or sound of squashing.

2. the fact of squashing or of being squashed.

3. something squashed or crushed.

4. something soft and easily crushed.

5. Also called squash racquets. a game for two or four persons, similar to racquets but played on a smaller court and with a racket having a round head and a long handle.

6. Also called squash tennis. a game for two persons, resembling squash racquets except that the ball is larger and livelier and the racket is shaped like a tennis racket.

7. British.,  a beverage made from fruit juice and soda water.

   lemon squash.

squash

²

[skwosh, skwawsh]

noun

plural

squashes ,

plural

squash .

1. the fruit of any of various vinelike, tendril-bearing plants belonging to the genus Curcurbita, of the gourd family, as C. moschata or C. pepo, used as a vegetable.

2. any of these plants.

squash

¹

/ skwɒʃ /

verb

1. to press or squeeze or be pressed or squeezed in or down so as to crush, distort, or pulp

2. (tr) to suppress or overcome

3. (tr) to humiliate or crush (a person), esp with a disconcerting retort

4. (intr) to make a sucking, splashing, or squelching sound

5. to enter or insert in a confined space

noun

1. a still drink made from fruit juice or fruit syrup diluted with water

2. a crush, esp of people in a confined space

3. something that is squashed

4. the act or sound of squashing or the state of being squashed

5. Also called: squash rackets.  squash racquets. a game for two or four players played in an enclosed court with a small rubber ball and light long-handled rackets. The ball may be hit against any of the walls but must hit the facing wall at a point above a horizontal line See also rackets

6. Also called: squash tennis. a similar game played with larger rackets and a larger pneumatic ball

squash

²

/ skwɒʃ /

noun

1. any of various marrow-like cucurbitaceous plants of the genus Cucurbita , esp C. pepo and C. moschata , the fruits of which have a hard rind surrounding edible flesh

2. the fruit of any of these plants, eaten as a vegetable

Other Word Forms

• squasher noun
• unsquashed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of squash¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English squachen, squatche “destroy, smash,” from Old French esquacher, esquasser, from Vulgar Latin exquassāre. (unrecorded), equivalent to ex- intensive prefix + quassāre “to shake”; ex- ¹, quash

Origin of squash²

An Americanism dating back to 1635–45; from Narragansett ( English spelling) askútasquash (plural)

Word History and Origins

Origin of squash¹

C16: from Old French esquasser , from Vulgar Latin exquassāre (unattested), from Latin _ex- ¹ + quassāre to shatter

Origin of squash²

C17: from Narraganset askutasquash , literally: green vegetable eaten green

Example Sentences

By 1994, the operation produced over 70 different vegetables, including baby spinach and squash, across more than 700 acres of land.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Even now, he’d remove an insect from his house rather than squash it.

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The pasta starts with béchamel sauce that’s stirred in with sweet butternut squash purée and a “rich, nutty, and tangy blend of Gouda, Cheddar, and Parmesan cheeses,” according to TJ’s.

Read more on Salon

The squash, cherimoya and mamey incongruously piled in the lower right corner recall the “strange fruit” of the mournful Abel Meeropol lynching song.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

This fall, that looks like leaning into squash, pumpkins and root vegetables; keeping an eye on budget; and building in a few routine-friendly meals that support my current health goals.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• crush 
• extinguish 
• flatten 
• quash 
• quell 
• squish 
• suppress 
• trample