crushed; crushing; crushes
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
6
archaic
: drink
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
Entertainment Weekly1
: an intense and usually passing infatuation
have a crush on someone
also
: the object of infatuation
2
3
: an act of crushing
4
: the quantity of material crushed
Synonyms
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 WebPeter Pomerantsev, TIME, 20 Apr. 2024
Another difference is that herbs can be used either fresh or dry, whole or chopped, whereas spices are invariably dried and then ground or crushed prior to use.
—Joshua Siskin, Orange County Register, 20 Apr. 2024
Three at-bats later, McGee hit the second pitch thrown to him and crushed a three-run homer that sailed yards over the right field wall to put the Spartans up 8-0.
—Nathan Canilao, The Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2024
The festival grounds at the Empire Polo Club were significantly expanded, so everything has a little more breathing room, and fans were able to walk up close to see Lana Del Rey’s headlining set Friday night without getting crushed.
—Vanessa Franko, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2024
Miami was desperate for a victory, going winless in its previous five games, including a crushing 3-1 loss to Monterrey in Mexico in the Champions Cup quarterfinal three days prior.
—Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 14 Apr. 2024
Picnic tips: Roll lettuce in a towel, enclose in a plastic bag, and stash at the top of the cooler so it doesn’t get crushed.
—Kara Peeler, Sunset Magazine, 11 Apr. 2024
The junta has carried out what human rights investigators call crimes against humanity in a brutal campaign to crush the opposition.
—Rebecca Tan, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2024
And the August 2014 death of a tugboat master when his crane barge hit the Florida Avenue lift bridge in New Orleans and the crane’s mast fell onto the wheelhouse, crushing him.
—USA TODAY, 11 Apr. 2024
Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 8 Apr. 2024
The survey also found that 17% of U.S. workers are currently in a relationship with a coworker, and 49% have had a crush on a coworker.
—Jasmine Li, Fortune, 7 Apr. 2024
In the first episode, Carmichael confessed to having a crush on his longtime friend, Tyler, the Creator (who later laughed off his confession and declined his invite to the 2022 Emmys).
—Kalia Richardson, Rolling Stone, 6 Apr. 2024
The character has had a longstanding crush on friend Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton), and a love story is expected to unfold between the pair, even in the unlikeliest of circumstances.
—Dory Jackson, Peoplemag, 5 Apr. 2024
The crush of people and massive police presence would make driving too slow.
—Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 29 Mar. 2024
The cast shows talent across the board, further tested by a tonal rug pull in the final act that has the characters confronting more serious matters than crushes and candy bars.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 16 Mar. 2024
High school crushes marry 70 years later 0:40 As teenagers, the couple danced together at the YMCA or parties at friends’ houses.
—Maham Javaid, Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2024
One patient needed both legs amputated due to a crush injury.
—Detroit Free Press, 23 Mar. 2024
Verb
What this persecution highlights is that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is more than just the latest iteration of the Kremlin’s centuries old attempt to crush Ukraine’s freedom.
—Peter Pomerantsev, TIME, 20 Apr. 2024
Another difference is that herbs can be used either fresh or dry, whole or chopped, whereas spices are invariably dried and then ground or crushed prior to use.
—Joshua Siskin, Orange County Register, 20 Apr. 2024
Three at-bats later, McGee hit the second pitch thrown to him and crushed a three-run homer that sailed yards over the right field wall to put the Spartans up 8-0.
—Nathan Canilao, The Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2024
The festival grounds at the Empire Polo Club were significantly expanded, so everything has a little more breathing room, and fans were able to walk up close to see Lana Del Rey’s headlining set Friday night without getting crushed.
—Vanessa Franko, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2024
Miami was desperate for a victory, going winless in its previous five games, including a crushing 3-1 loss to Monterrey in Mexico in the Champions Cup quarterfinal three days prior.
—Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 14 Apr. 2024
Picnic tips: Roll lettuce in a towel, enclose in a plastic bag, and stash at the top of the cooler so it doesn’t get crushed.
—Kara Peeler, Sunset Magazine, 11 Apr. 2024
The junta has carried out what human rights investigators call crimes against humanity in a brutal campaign to crush the opposition.
—Rebecca Tan, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2024
And the August 2014 death of a tugboat master when his crane barge hit the Florida Avenue lift bridge in New Orleans and the crane’s mast fell onto the wheelhouse, crushing him.
—USA TODAY, 11 Apr. 2024
Noun
In the film, Slater is playing Boq, a munchkin boy who, fittingly, has a crush on Glinda.
—Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 8 Apr. 2024
The survey also found that 17% of U.S. workers are currently in a relationship with a coworker, and 49% have had a crush on a coworker.
—Jasmine Li, Fortune, 7 Apr. 2024
In the first episode, Carmichael confessed to having a crush on his longtime friend, Tyler, the Creator (who later laughed off his confession and declined his invite to the 2022 Emmys).
—Kalia Richardson, Rolling Stone, 6 Apr. 2024
The character has had a longstanding crush on friend Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton), and a love story is expected to unfold between the pair, even in the unlikeliest of circumstances.
—Dory Jackson, Peoplemag, 5 Apr. 2024
The crush of people and massive police presence would make driving too slow.
—Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 29 Mar. 2024
The cast shows talent across the board, further tested by a tonal rug pull in the final act that has the characters confronting more serious matters than crushes and candy bars.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 16 Mar. 2024
High school crushes marry 70 years later 0:40 As teenagers, the couple danced together at the YMCA or parties at friends’ houses.
—Maham Javaid, Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2024
One patient needed both legs amputated due to a crush injury.
—Detroit Free Press, 23 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'crush.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Dictionary Entries Near crush
Cite this Entry
“Crush.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crush. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
crush
1 of 2 verb1
: to squeeze together so as to break or destroy the natural shape or condition
crush grapes
2
3
: to break into fine pieces by pressing, pounding, or grinding
crush stone
4
a
: overwhelm sense 2
crushed the enemy
b
crusher
noun
crush
2 of 2 noun1
: an act of crushing
2
: a crowding together of many people
3
: a strong but often temporary liking : infatuation
have a crush on someone
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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