squashed; squashing; squashes
1
: to press or beat into a pulp or a flat mass : crush
1
: to flatten out under pressure or impact
2
: to proceed with a splashing or squelching sound
squash through the mud
squasher
noun
1
obsolete
: something soft and easily crushed
specifically
: an unripe pod of peas
2
: the sudden fall of a heavy soft body or the sound of such a fall
3
4
: a crushed mass
5
British
: sweetened citrus fruit juice often served with added soda water
6
: a singles or doubles game played in a 4-wall court with a long-handled racket and a rubber ball that can be hit off any number of walls
plural squashes or squash
: any of various fruits of plants (genus Cucurbita) of the gourd family widely cultivated as vegetables
also
: a plant and especially a vine that bears squashes compare summer squash, winter squash
Synonyms
Examples of squash in a Sentence
Verb
He squashed his nose against the window.
His poor performance squashed any hope he had of a promotion.
The boss squashed my idea immediately.
Someone had squashed all the ribbons together in one box.
Recent Examples on the Web
Mary Ilyushina, Washington Post, 8 Apr. 2024
While the original look came down the runway with a latex skull cap, squash goggles, and square-toed Oxfords with black socks, Delevingne feminized the look, and brought it closer to Cabaret’s origins.
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 29 Mar. 2024
The Federal Trade Commission and more than 40 states have accused Facebook of buying up its rivals, particularly Instagram in 2012 and WhatsApp two years later, to illegally squash competition that could have one day challenged the company’s dominance.
—Tripp Mickle, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2024
Opt for non-cruciferous vegetables, which typically are low in fiber, such as asparagus tips, cucumbers, and squash.
—Amanda MacMillan, Health, 24 Mar. 2024
The setting is a fetching backdrop to a surprisingly long a la carte menu whose small-plate highlights include juicy pork belly and kabocha squash gyoza and tuna tartare — red with gochujang and fruity with apple — scooped up with nubby tempura seaweed chips.
—Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 20 Feb. 2024
Brown’s score, often big, loud and thrillingly sung, goes some distance toward addressing that systemic problem by squashing it.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 6 Feb. 2024
Green was essentially squashed by Raquel Rodriguez, but Green is a breakout star waiting to happen.
—Alfred Konuwa, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024
The broth is made of chicken or beef stock, and the soup is loaded with carrots, potatoes and squash or zucchini.
—Carlos Rico, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Feb. 2024
Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 9 Apr. 2024
Alternatively, plant three cucumber plants or one squash plant or five cilantro plants.
—Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Apr. 2024
Animation techniques such as squash and stretch and lighting help to mitigate that somewhat.
—K.j. Yossman, Variety, 4 Apr. 2024
So tomatoes, squash and cucumbers need sun to ripen.
—Life Kit, NPR, 28 Mar. 2024
Spy bushels of apples and squash; clothes hanging to dry; and teeny-tiny coffee pots.
—Valeriya Safronova, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2024
Install sturdy trellises, wire mesh cages, etc. to support rangy plants like tomatoes and vining plants like cucumbers, climbing squashes, luffa, watermelon, pumpkins, etc.
—Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Mar. 2024
Colorful cornucopias of tomatoes, okra, squashes, peppers, berries, and more, are ripe for the picking and combined with a noodle base to tie them all together, ready to dazzle your dinner table.
—Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 16 Feb. 2024
Born and raised in Ciudad Constitución and beginning her project in 2014 with a roadside stall, Ibarra has since grown her business into a 37-acre field that produces chard, squash, carrots, strawberries, and more.
—Michaela Trimble, Vogue, 23 Jan. 2024
Verb
The demonstrations were a rare show of public outrage in Russia, where severe wartime repressions have squashed virtually all public dissent.
—Mary Ilyushina, Washington Post, 8 Apr. 2024
While the original look came down the runway with a latex skull cap, squash goggles, and square-toed Oxfords with black socks, Delevingne feminized the look, and brought it closer to Cabaret’s origins.
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 29 Mar. 2024
The Federal Trade Commission and more than 40 states have accused Facebook of buying up its rivals, particularly Instagram in 2012 and WhatsApp two years later, to illegally squash competition that could have one day challenged the company’s dominance.
—Tripp Mickle, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2024
Opt for non-cruciferous vegetables, which typically are low in fiber, such as asparagus tips, cucumbers, and squash.
—Amanda MacMillan, Health, 24 Mar. 2024
The setting is a fetching backdrop to a surprisingly long a la carte menu whose small-plate highlights include juicy pork belly and kabocha squash gyoza and tuna tartare — red with gochujang and fruity with apple — scooped up with nubby tempura seaweed chips.
—Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 20 Feb. 2024
Brown’s score, often big, loud and thrillingly sung, goes some distance toward addressing that systemic problem by squashing it.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 6 Feb. 2024
Green was essentially squashed by Raquel Rodriguez, but Green is a breakout star waiting to happen.
—Alfred Konuwa, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024
The broth is made of chicken or beef stock, and the soup is loaded with carrots, potatoes and squash or zucchini.
—Carlos Rico, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Feb. 2024
Noun
The court can also be used for sports such as squash or racketball.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 9 Apr. 2024
Alternatively, plant three cucumber plants or one squash plant or five cilantro plants.
—Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Apr. 2024
Animation techniques such as squash and stretch and lighting help to mitigate that somewhat.
—K.j. Yossman, Variety, 4 Apr. 2024
So tomatoes, squash and cucumbers need sun to ripen.
—Life Kit, NPR, 28 Mar. 2024
Spy bushels of apples and squash; clothes hanging to dry; and teeny-tiny coffee pots.
—Valeriya Safronova, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2024
Install sturdy trellises, wire mesh cages, etc. to support rangy plants like tomatoes and vining plants like cucumbers, climbing squashes, luffa, watermelon, pumpkins, etc.
—Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Mar. 2024
Colorful cornucopias of tomatoes, okra, squashes, peppers, berries, and more, are ripe for the picking and combined with a noodle base to tie them all together, ready to dazzle your dinner table.
—Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 16 Feb. 2024
Born and raised in Ciudad Constitución and beginning her project in 2014 with a roadside stall, Ibarra has since grown her business into a 37-acre field that produces chard, squash, carrots, strawberries, and more.
—Michaela Trimble, Vogue, 23 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'squash.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near squash
Cite this Entry
“Squash.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/squash. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
squash
2 of 3 noun1
: the sudden fall of a heavy soft body or the sound of such a fall
2
: a crushing sound
3
: a crushed mass
4
: a game played in a four-walled court with a racket and a rubber ball
squash
3 of 3 noun
plural squashes or squash
: any of various fruits of plants of the gourd family that are used especially as vegetables
also
: a plant and typically a vine that produces squashes
Etymology
Verb
from Middle English squachen "to crush, annul," from early French esquacher (same meaning)
Noun
a shortened and altered form of earlier isquoutersquash "the squash plant or fruit"; of American Indian origin
Medical Definition
squash
noun
: a bit of tissue crushed between a slide and cover glass and stained in situ especially for cytological study of chromosomes
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