squish
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
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to make a gushing or splashing sound.
His soaking wet sneakers squished as he plodded by.
I waded out of the river, mud squishing between my toes.
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to become squeezed or squashed.
The softer containers can squish down when empty, allowing them to take up less space.
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to make one's way with a gushing or splashing sound.
We said our goodbyes, and she squished away to the bus stop in the rain.
noun
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squishes
plural
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a gushing or splashing sound.
I thought I was alone in the woods until I heard the squish of footsteps on wet leaves.
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an instance of being squeezed or squashed.
The table could seat four people, but it would be a squish.
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Slang. a politician, especially a Republican, who is perceived by members of their own party as overly moderate or willing to compromise.
His rival in the party claimed he was a squish who cared more about making deals than sticking to his beliefs.
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Slang. an intense feeling of infatuation that is not romantic or sexual in nature; a platonic crush.
I had such a squish on her when we first met, but luckily it worked out and now she's my best friend.
verb
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(tr) to crush, esp so as to make a soft splashing noise
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(intr) (of mud, etc) to make a splashing noise
the ground squishes as you tread
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of squish
First recorded in 1640–50; alteration of squash 1
Explanation
When you squish through a muddy field, your feet make sucking, sloppy sounds as they move. If your sneakers get wet in the rain, you'll have to squish down the street. The verb squish is perfect for describing a walk through any muddy or wet situation. People squish through puddles and in soggy shoes. You can also refer to the sound itself as a squish: "The squish of your boots in the hall told me it must have started raining again." Squish is imitative — in other words, it sounds exactly like its meaning. It's thought to be a variation on squash and influenced by the obsolete word squiss, "to squeeze or crush."
Vocabulary lists containing squish
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.
See Examples For:
It turns out that it’s difficult to squish a sphere into a flat rectangle without some disfigurement, but the Mercator errors have finally led to pushback.
From Salon ● Sep. 10, 2026
When you think about your work and your company, Complexly, you don’t want to squish it down to the shortest version, right?
From Slate ● Mar. 22, 2026
Going up against a Goliath, they have a lot of strength to squish the Davids coming after them.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 12, 2024
Little ones can squish their fingers in the mud and explore all the different textures and smells as part of sensory play.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 3, 2024
“I saw it go squish, bounce back, squish, bounce back—it actually changed shape,” he said.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
Like the scene where Wade squishes his entire body mass into a thin stream of water so he can slip through a chain-link fence?
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 15, 2023
Infinite density can be found inside a black hole, where gravity is so intense that it squishes matter into a mind-bogglingly small space called a singularity.
From Scientific American ● Apr. 26, 2023
Tom squishes a strawberry between his fingers and drops it at Stumpy’s feet.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 6, 2022
She squishes a wedge into the bottom of the salad bowl, adds a pinch of salt, a few grinds of pepper, then whisks in good olive oil.
From New York Times ● Sep. 10, 2021
The girl’s face squishes up, like she’s in the worst pain ever and she opens her mouth like she’s going to yell but nothing comes out.
From "The Knife of Never Letting Go" by Patrick Ness
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.
