crush

verb

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\ ˈkrəsh

crushed; crushing; crushes

Definition of crush

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : 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

3a : 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

crush

noun

Definition of crush (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : an intense and usually passing infatuation have a crush on someone also : the object of infatuation

2a : 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

Other Words from crush Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More About crush

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Other Words from crush

Verb

crushable \ ˈkrə-shə-bəl

\ adjective

crusher noun

crushingly adverb

Noun

crushproof \ ˈkrəsh-ˌprüf

\ adjective

Synonyms for crush

Synonyms: Verb

Synonyms: Noun

Choose the Right Synonym for crush

Noun

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 For generations, government housing programs were designed to benefit white households and crush Black opportunity. — BostonGlobe.com, 13 July 2021 Blade grinders use a simple, quickly spinning blade to pulverize the beans, while burr grinders are essentially small grist mills that crush the beans between two revolving metal or ceramic surfaces. — Leah Koenig, Forbes, 29 June 2021 Those with college degrees can earn about $600 a month running the power supply; others inspect and load products onto trucks or crush silicon for $6.50 a ton at a sister plant farther west. — Washington Post, 24 June 2021 Republicans are already lining up against the plan, not only for the size and cost but because Biden proposes to pay for it by hiking corporate taxes, which the GOP warns will crush economic growth. — Susan Ferrechio, Washington Examiner, 1 Apr. 2021 After soldiers and police used deadly force to crush the peaceful demonstrations, a low-level armed insurrection has emerged in both the cities and countryside. — Edith M. Lederer, chicagotribune.com, 18 June 2021 An on-site processing mill would crush and refine the minerals and ores using flotation, separation and cyanide. — Laura Schulte, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 1 June 2021 Just look at the way Jim Crow was used after Reconstruction to crush the enfranchisement of Black people. — Arkansas Online, 1 June 2021 Jordan was from a generation that knew a kind of psychic pain that would likely crush their children and grandchildren today. — Washington Post, 2 Mar. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun That's led to another crush -- of passport applications -- one that has overwhelmed the State Department's 26 passport agencies across the country and created an enormous backlog of applications. — Conor Finnegan, ABC News, 14 July 2021 Asha, a late bloomer working at a neuroscience lab, runs into her high school crush, Cyrus, at a funeral. — Amy Brady, Scientific American, 21 June 2021 For Jonas, this manifests in a borderline unhealthy obsession with his crush, Nicole (Starr Kirkland). — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2021 What is known is that a crush of people, largely among members of the Toldos Aharon Hassidic community centered in Jerusalem, tried to exit one area of the compound after the end of a bonfire-lighting ceremony. — Washington Post, 30 Apr. 2021 Your crush, Ashton Kutcher, was just spotted courtside at the Lakers game wearing one, too. — Eliza Huber, refinery29.com, 30 Apr. 2021 Her undying preteen crush, teen obsession, and still the object of her nightly fantasies. — Rachel Epstein, Marie Claire, 29 Mar. 2021 Ronny, played by Kareem Jenkins, has a crush on bisexual Henry, played by Tommy Tran. — San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Mar. 2021 And your current design crush So many! David Netto is such a master at striking a balance between classicism and modern sensibility. — Hadley Mendelsohn, House Beautiful, 19 Feb. 2021

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.