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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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:
When a beefy bad guy who was about to squish a normal-sized good guy received a crippling blow to the scrotum, I laughed.
From Slate ● Jun. 11, 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
For our fruit-loving forerunners a few million years before we figured out cooking, a little squish was an easy cue that our food was ready to eat.
From Salon ● Feb. 10, 2024
She could play the guitar like a regular recording star, and she had this soft floaty voice that made Jesse squish inside.
From "Bridge to Terabithia" by Katherine Paterson
And the third is atmospheric subsidence — a downward flow of air over California that squishes storms before they can form, and also contributes to the state’s moody marine layer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 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
Both Breyer and Roberts, whether you dismiss them as squishes or laud them as statesmen, believed in sitting down with the other side and hearing their best arguments.
From Slate ● Jul. 29, 2022
Tom squishes a strawberry between his fingers and drops it at Stumpy’s feet.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 6, 2022
If it squishes too much, it could be rotten.
From "Hello, Universe" by Erin Entrada Kelly
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.
