crush

1 of 2

verb

ˈkrəsh 

crushed; crushing; crushes

transitive verb

1

a

: to squeeze or force by pressure so as to alter or destroy structure

crush grapes

b

: to squeeze together into a mass

She crushed her clothes into a bag.

2

: to reduce to particles by pounding or grinding

crush rock

3

a

: to subdue completely

The rebellion was crushed.

b

: to cause overwhelming emotional pain to (someone)

Her insults crushed him.

c

: to oppress or burden grievously

crushed by debt

d

: to suppress or overwhelm as if by pressure or weight

4

: crowd, push

were crushed into the elevator

5

: hug, embrace

She crushed her child to her breast.

6

archaic : drink

intransitive verb

1

: to advance with or as if with crushing

The crowd crushed ruthlessly toward the exit.

2

: to become crushed

The stewed tomatoes crush easily.

3

obsolete : crash

4

informal : to experience an intense and usually passing infatuation : to have a crush on someone

—usually used with on

She's been crushing on him all summer.

Turns out Fat Monica was motivated to lose all the weight after she overhead Chandler (whom she was crushing on) tell Ross: "I don't want to be stuck here all night with your fat sister."

—Entertainment Weekly

crushable

ˈkrə-shə-bəl 

adjective

crusher noun

crushingly adverb

crush

2 of 2

noun

1

: an intense and usually passing infatuation

have a crush on someone

also : the object of infatuation

2

a

: crowd, mob

especially : a crowd of people pressing against one another

b

: a crowding together (as of people)

3

: an act of crushing

4

: the quantity of material crushed

crushproof

ˈkrəsh-ˌprüf 

adjective

Synonyms

Verb

• mash
• squeeze
• pulp

Noun

• passion
• love
• affection
• obsession
• infatuation
• mash

Choose the Right Synonym for crush

crowd, throng, horde, crush, mob mean an assembled multitude.

crowd implies a close gathering and pressing together.

a crowd gathered

throng and horde suggest movement and pushing.

a throng of reporters

a horde of shoppers

crush emphasizes the compactness of the group, the difficulty of individual movement, and the attendant discomfort.

a crush of fans

mob implies a disorderly crowd with the potential for violence.

an angry mob

Examples of crush in a Sentence

Verb

Unfortunately some of the flowers got crushed when we were moving them.

The bicycle was crushed under the truck's tires.

The machine crushes the cans so that they can be stored until they are recycled.

Her arm was crushed in the accident.

Crush the nuts and sprinkle them on top of the cake.

The rocks were crushed into dust.

Noun

Yesterday I saw my old high school crush for the first time in five years.

The crush in the train station is at its worst during the afternoon rush hour.

Outside the hotel stood a crush of reporters waiting for her arrival.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Their closer coughed up yet another game, as Tanner Scott left a two-strike, two-out fastball over the heart of the plate that Orioles rookie Samuel Basallo crushed into the night sky to end it. —Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2025

That finding adds to the growing pile of evidence that AI is crushing the market for entry-level jobs, which have traditionally been a stepping stone for recent grads trying to launch their careers, especially in white-collar sectors. —Jason Ma, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2025

Noun

The same is true of Rafi, a 14-year-old who loves to play rough in bucolic surroundings and has a new crush, but also dreams of martyrdom. —Radhika Seth, Vogue, 5 Sep. 2025

Eric and his friend Brian both have crushes on a girl, Sarah (Amélie Hoeferle). —Richard Brody, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English crusshen, from Anglo-French croissir, croistre, of Germanic origin; akin to Middle Low German krossen to crush

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

1599, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Phrases Containing crush

• schoolgirl crush

Rhymes for crush

• blush
• brush
• flush
• gush
• hush
• lush
• mush
• plush
• shush
• slush
• thrush
• airbrush

Kids Definition

crush

1 of 2 verb

ˈkrəsh 

1

: to squeeze together so as to break or destroy the natural shape or condition

crush grapes

2

: hug sense 1

3

: to break into fine pieces by pressing, pounding, or grinding

crush stone

4

a

: overwhelm sense 2

crushed the enemy

b

: oppress sense 2

5

informal : to have a strong but often temporary liking

—usually used with on

crusher noun

crush

2 of 2 noun

1

: an act of crushing

2

: a crowding together of many people

3

: a strong but often temporary liking : infatuation

have a crush on someone