CRUSH Synonyms: 204 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the noun 'crush' differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of crush are crowd , horde , mob , and throng . While all these words mean "an assembled multitude," crush emphasizes the compactness of the group, the difficulty of individual movement, and the attendant discomfort. // a crush of fans

Q: When might 'crowd' be a better fit than 'crush'?

While the synonyms crowd and crush are close in meaning, crowd implies a close gathering and pressing together. // a crowd gathered

Q: When is 'mob' a more appropriate choice than 'crush'?

The words mob and crush can be used in similar contexts, but mob implies a disorderly crowd with the potential for violence. // an angry mob

Q: How do 'throng' and 'horde' relate to one another, in the sense of 'crush'?

Both throng and horde suggest movement and pushing. // a throng of reporters // a horde of shoppers

crush 1 of 2

verb

ˈkrəsh

Definition of crush next

as in to mash

to cause to become a pulpy mass dark-colored grapes that will be crushed to make red wine

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in to quell

to put a stop to (something) by the use of force the government is doing everything to crush the latest guerrilla uprising

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to grind

to reduce to fine particles crushed the baby's medicine tablet and mixed it with applesauce

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as in to overwhelm

to subject to incapacitating emotional or mental stress the terrible news of her death simply crushed the entire family

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as in to squeeze

to apply external pressure on so as to force out the juice or contents of after crushing the grapes, let the skins soak in the juice in order to extract some color

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as in to cram

to fit (people or things) into a tight space the desperate refugees were crushed into the back of the truck

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as in to hug

to put one's arms around and press tightly she tearfully crushed the child to her breast

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crush

2 of 2

noun

as in passion

a strong but often short-lived liking for another person fondly remembers the crush that she had on a boy one summer long ago

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as in swarm

a great number of persons or creatures massed together the huge crush in the store must have far exceeded safety limits

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun crush differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of crush are crowd, horde, mob, and throng. While all these words mean "an assembled multitude," crush emphasizes the compactness of the group, the difficulty of individual movement, and the attendant discomfort.

a crush of fans

When might crowd be a better fit than crush?

While the synonyms crowd and crush are close in meaning, crowd implies a close gathering and pressing together.

a crowd gathered

When is mob a more appropriate choice than crush?

The words mob and crush can be used in similar contexts, but mob implies a disorderly crowd with the potential for violence.

an angry mob

How do throng and horde relate to one another, in the sense of crush?

Both throng and horde suggest movement and pushing.

a throng of reporters

a horde of shoppers

Examples of crush in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

So the family discusses this serious conversation, juxtaposed with Gardner crushing a huge burger. —

Andy Hoglund, EW.com, 6 Oct. 2024 But Lundqvist’s comeback quest was soon halted by crushing pain in his chest and back, which was diagnosed as pericarditis. —

Carol Schram, Forbes, 4 Oct. 2024

Noun

All the ’90s models had a crush on Jenny Shimizu Shimizu on Prada’s spring 1994 runway. —

Emma Specter, Vogue, 20 Sep. 2024 Toni and Bri are then whisked away to a fancy corporate Christmas retreat in the snowy Vermont mountains by handsome business mogul, Justin (McNally), whose crush on Toni is real even if her legal career isn’t. —

Rebecca Angel Baer, Southern Living, 19 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for crush

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.