crush

play

verb \ˈkrəsh\

Definition of crush

transitive verb
1a : to squeeze or force by pressure so as to alter or destroy structure crush grapesb : to squeeze together into a mass She crushed her clothes into a bag.
2 : hug, embrace She crushed her child to her breast.
3 : to reduce to particles by pounding or grinding crush rock
4a : to suppress or overwhelm as if by pressure or weightb : to oppress or burden grievously crushed by debtc : to subdue completely The rebellion was crushed.
5 : crowd, push were crushed into the elevator
6 archaic : drink
intransitive verb
1 obsolete : crash
2 : to become crushed The stewed tomatoes crush easily.
3 : to advance with or as if with crushing The crowd crushed ruthlessly toward the exit.

crushable

play \ˈkrə-shə-bəl\ adjective

crusher

noun

crushingly

adverb

See crush defined for English-language learners

See crush defined for kids

Examples of crush in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of crush from the Web

Here are the guests at the Red Wedding, signing up to attend an event at which they will be shot with crossbows and stabbed a hundred times and crushed under the hoofs of frantic horses.

— rosa lyster, The Cut, "Why Weddings in Books Are Always Terrible," 20 July 2017
But the time-release effect could be defeated by crushing the tablets and snorting the powder, or by smoking it, or by adding water and injecting it — all for an immediate, sometimes heroinlike, high.

— sam roberts, New York Times, "Raymond Sackler, Psychopharmacology Pioneer and Philanthropist, Dies at 97," 19 July 2017
In a separate bowl, combine celery seeds, crushed red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper.

— nancy miller, The Courier-Journal, "Doc Crow's offers well-grounded appreciation for Southern food," 18 July 2017
ORLANDO, Fla. -- A Florida man has survived a harrowing drive after a large piece of scrap metal fell from a tractor-trailer and crushed his van.

— CBS News, "Florida man survives crash when piece of scrap metal falls on van," 16 July 2017
With hopes of reconciliation under the PA banner crushed, this could kill the dream of a unified Palestinian negotiating position, and thus — as Abbas surely knows — the dream of a unified Palestinian state.

— elliot kaufman, National Review, "Mahmoud Abbas’s Legacy Blows Up in His Face," 11 July 2017
Throughout the movie Peter is crushing on Liz, one of his classmates and another academic decathlon team member.

— erin reimel, Glamour, "Zendaya's Small 'Spider-Man: Homecoming' Role Is Likely to Be a Whole Lot Bigger Than We Actually Thought," 8 July 2017
Trump is not going to crush the free media in one fell swoop.

— eric levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "White House Warns CNN That Critical Coverage Could Cost Time Warner Its Merger," 6 July 2017
Team USA crushed Mali 117-69 in a Round of 16 elimination game and will face Germany on Friday.

— fletcher page, The Courier-Journal, "UK's PJ Washington scores 20, USA rolls by Mali at FIBA World Cup," 5 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'crush.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of crush

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

crush

noun

Definition of crush

1 : an act of crushing
2 : the quantity of material crushed
3a : a crowding together (as of people)b : crowd, mob; especially : a crowd of people pressing against one another
4 : an intense and usually passing infatuation have a crush on someone; also : the object of infatuation

crushproof

play \ˈkrəsh-ˌprüf\ adjective

See crush defined for English-language learners

Examples of crush in a Sentence

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 of crush from the Web

Last week, the internet discovered a new silver fox celebrity crush: Steve Carell.

— erica gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Steve Carell Knows You Think He's Hot," 27 June 2017
Thissen brings a Minneapolis voice to the crush of names vying for governor.

— rachel e. stassen-berger, Twin Cities, "Former House Speaker Thissen adds his name to crush of gubernatorial candidates," 15 June 2017
SELF: Steele Walker Baseball player at OU #1 & Kyler Murray football player at OU #1 Celebrity crush?

— brian gosset, star-telegram.com, "Player Spotlight: Richland grad Trae Self," 15 June 2017
As a teenager growing up in a Jewish neighborhood in Baltimore, my crushes were always on white boys.

— Longreads, "White Men," 6 June 2017
Frank leered in on Doug and LeAnn’s hook up, which may have been a bid by her for renewed access to the White House or may have just indicated her crush on D.C.’s biggest creep.

— spencer kornhaber, The Atlantic, "House of Cards Season 5, Episode 11: The Live-Binge Review," 2 June 2017
During a recent Thursday lunch crush, the S&S was doing the kind of a business a three-week-old mom-and-pop restaurant can only dream of.

— carlos frías, miamiherald, "Miami’s historic S&S Diner was evicted after 79 years — but it reopened in a new location," 2 June 2017
In the movie (based on a Hans Christian Andersen tale), Ariel is a 16-year-old princess who is willing to give up her undersea family and home because of her obsession with humans and teenage crush on Prince Eric.

— kate miller, kansascity.com, "‘Little Mermaid’ goes under the sea — and up in the air — for Starlight Theatre opener," 2 June 2017
In 2015, two major accidents killed several thousand pilgrims, including at least 2,400 people in a crush and stampede of crowds.

— Washington Post, "Saudi Arabia working to dazzle Trump in busy overseas visit," 18 May 2017

Origin and Etymology of crush

see ¹crush

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1599

See Words from the same year

Synonym Discussion of 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

CRUSH Defined for English Language Learners

crush

play

verb

Definition of crush for English Language Learners

: to press or squeeze (something) so hard that it breaks or loses its shape
: to break (something) into a powder or very small pieces by pressing, pounding, or grinding it
: to defeat (a person or group that opposes you) by using a lot of force

crush

noun

Definition of crush for English Language Learners

: a strong feeling of romantic love for someone that is usually not expressed and does not last a long time
: the person on whom you have a crush
: a crowd of people who are pressed close together

CRUSH Defined for Kids

crush

play

verb \ˈkrəsh\

Definition of crush for Students

crushed

;

crushing

1 : to squeeze together so as to change or destroy the natural shape or condition We crush grapes for their juice.
2 : to break into fine pieces by pressure The machine crushes stone.
3 : overwhelm 1 crush an enemy
4 : to defeat in spirit The injury crushed her hopes of winning.

crush

play

noun

Definition of crush for Students

1 : a tightly packed crowd He got caught in the crush of holiday shoppers.
2 : a foolish or very strong liking : infatuation Libby has a crush on a lifeguard named Freddie. — Judy Blume, Sheila the Great