squish

American  

[skwish] / skwɪʃ /

verb (used with object)

1. to squeeze or squash.

   It's a soft bread, so it's easy to accidentally squish it while cutting.

   The long ride was going to be uncomfortable, what with having to squish six people into a tiny car.

---

verb (used without object)

1. 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.

2. to become squeezed or squashed.

   The softer containers can squish down when empty, allowing them to take up less space.

3. 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

• squishes
  plural

1. a gushing or splashing sound.

   I thought I was alone in the woods until I heard the squish of footsteps on wet leaves.

2. an instance of being squeezed or squashed.

   The table could seat four people, but it would be a squish.

3. 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.

4. 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.

squish British  

/ skwɪʃ /

verb

1. (tr) to crush, esp so as to make a soft splashing noise

2. (intr) (of mud, etc) to make a splashing noise

   the ground squishes as you tread

---

noun

1. a soft squashing sound

   the ripe peach fell with a squish

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• squished
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• squishes
  plural

---

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."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

squish squishes

But it also seems like the burst threatens to squish us.

From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026

“She’d say, ‘Oh, here comes The Double With Onions coming across the street,’” Malik said of Thayer, who taught her how to squish patties.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 7, 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

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

Try as I might, I wasn’t able to smooth out my nerves or squish down my high expectations.

From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry

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

We watch, over and over again, as Lam punches a row of elevator buttons and squishes herself into a corner of the elevator, then exits and makes some odd hand gestures.

From New York Times ● Feb. 12, 2021

“Much lighter, and it squishes up small. Much better for when we go exploring.”

From "Uglies" by Scott Westerfeld

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• scrunch

---