Synonyms of crushes

crushes 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of crush

1

as in mashes

to cause to become a pulpy mass

dark-colored grapes that will be crushed to make red wine

Synonyms & Similar Words

• mashes
• squeezes
• squashes
• presses
• pulps
• pulverizes
• beats
• pounds
• powders

2

as in suppresses

to put a stop to (something) by the use of force

the government is doing everything to crush the latest guerrilla uprising

Synonyms & Similar Words

• suppresses
• quells
• subdues
• represses
• squashes
• destroys
• silences
• stifles
• overcomes
• sits on
• quashes
• extinguishes
• squelches
• snuffs (out)
• clamps down (on)
• demolishes
• cracks down (on)
• slaps down
• obliterates
• throttles
• annihilates
• quenches
• puts down
• decimates
• smothers
• smashes
• dominates
• conquers
• ruins
• strangles
• vanquishes
• wrecks
• exterminates
• overwhelms
• subjugates
• devastates
• wastes
• wipes out
• overpowers
• douses
• puts out
• nukes
• desolates
• rubs out

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• supports
• helps
• aids
• assists
• backs
• provokes
• abets
• stirs
• incites
• encourages
• instigates
• promotes
• advances
• whips (up)
• fosters
• cultivates
• nurtures
• nourishes
• props up
• foments
• furthers
• forwards

3

as in grinds

to reduce to fine particles

crushed the baby's medicine tablet and mixed it with applesauce

Synonyms & Similar Words

• grinds
• pounds
• beats
• disintegrates
• pulverizes
• crumbles
• mills
• smashes
• powders
• atomizes
• brays
• mulls
• shatters
• grates
• comminutes
• fractures
• breaks
• fragments
• crunches
• kibbles
• busts
• splinters
• dashes
• micronizes

4

as in overwhelms

to subject to incapacitating emotional or mental stress

the terrible news of her death simply crushed the entire family

Synonyms & Similar Words

• overwhelms
• overcomes
• devastates
• oppresses
• overpowers
• rocks
• grinds (down)
• whelms
• prostrates
• floors
• disturbs
• drowns
• swamps
• overmasters
• defeats
• shatters
• snows under
• sinks
• upsets
• refutes
• throws
• deluges
• distresses
• confutes
• demoralizes
• staggers
• unnerves
• unmans
• breaks

5

as in squeezes

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• squeezes
• mashes
• presses
• expresses
• extracts
• reams
• extrudes
• pulps
• purees

6

as in stuffs

to fit (people or things) into a tight space

the desperate refugees were crushed into the back of the truck

Synonyms & Similar Words

• squeezes
• stuffs
• crams
• loads
• sandwiches
• wedges
• rams
• jams
• shoehorns
• packs
• crowds
• fills
• heaps
• jam-packs

7

as in hugs

to put one's arms around and press tightly

she tearfully crushed the child to her breast

Synonyms & Similar Words

• hugs
• clasps
• clings
• cradles
• embraces
• grabs
• grasps
• enfolds
• holds
• wraps
• bear-hugs
• enclasps
• strains
• clamps
• pats
• envelops
• snuggles
• grips
• encircles
• entwines
• locks
• folds
• nuzzles
• fondles
• embosoms
• cuddles
• twines
• strokes
• bosoms
• nestles
• enwinds
• pets

crushes

2 of 2

noun

plural of crush

1

as in passions

a strong but often short-lived liking for another person

fondly remembers the crush that she had on a boy one summer long ago

Synonyms & Similar Words

• passions
• mashes
• infatuations
• obsessions
• loves
• rages
• affections
• fixations
• devotions
• crazes
• fads
• vogues

2

as in swarms

a great number of persons or creatures massed together

the huge crush in the store must have far exceeded safety limits

Synonyms & Similar Words

• swarms
• throngs
• hordes
• flocks
• masses
• crowds
• multitudes
• legions
• presses
• masses
• routs
• armies
• bikes
• crams
• mobs
• millions
• hosts
• herds
• droves
• rabbles
• piles
• riffraffs
• rabblements
• gaggles
• scrums
• heaps
• mountains
• jams
• logjams

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of crushes

Verb

In Zvyagintsev’s film, the state machine, rather than protect the individual, crushes him. — Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026

The head crushes and smashes of so much yesteryear horror often tended to be funny, even if not intentionally so. — Chris Lee, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2026

That pulse crushes the fuel, driving its atoms to unite and release their own huge amount of energy, whose nature and effects scientists can study. — Sarah Scoles, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026

Jason fires a 3-D harpoon into the eye of Vera Sanchez (Catherine Parks), and later crushes the skull of Rick Bombay (Paul Kratka), causing his eyes to pop out. — Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026

And The Studio creator claims the film is not only better than Obsession, but that Barker crushes his major feature film on-camera debut. — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2026

Detailed in the script, Carrie crushes the spewing water pipes with her mind, but the folks manning the on-and-off switches aren’t yet in sync. — Entertainment Weekly, 15 Sep. 2026

An Amazon Prime Air Boeing 767 crashes off the runway and crushes a vehicle west of Miami International Airport in Miami onSept. — Matthew Ablon, CBS News, 6 Sep. 2026

While this motion typically crushes or warps regular sneakers, these shoes bounce right back into their original shape, damage-free. — Sian Babish, PEOPLE, 18 July 2026

Noun

During separate appearances on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, both Reeves and Bullock admitted to having crushes on each other while filming the 1994 movie. — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Oct. 2026

Nobody seems to work much, though, the employees are consumed by gossip, crushes, and confusion about their coworkers, superiors, and others who lurk in their building. — James Folta, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026

Her arrival stirs enough secrets, crushes, and shifting loyalties to fill an eight-episode TV show. — Rhoda Feng, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2026

The story takes on first crushes, school pressures, friendship conflicts, parental separation and loneliness. — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 27 Aug. 2026

Jenna Bush Hager and Sheinelle Jones took a trip down memory line while revealing their celebrity crushes on the Today show. — Lara Walsh, InStyle, 25 Aug. 2026

And with Molly Ringwald as his muse, Hughes’s directorial debut established his gift for frank and empathetic tales of adolescent crushes and high school social hierarchies. — Al Shipley, SPIN, 4 Aug. 2026

While Fritz was enjoying the perks of his apparent single life, golfing with influencers Nick Nayersina, David Dobrik, and Josh Richards for content that ended up on YouTube a couple of weeks ago, the topic of celebrity crushes came up. — Sean Joseph Outkick, FOXNews.com, 2 Aug. 2026

Life’s biggest challenges were saving up for a treehouse, holding seances in a cemetery, navigating first crushes and hard family situations, and, of course, simply growing up. — Sarah Scott, Parents, 14 July 2026