squashes

verb

present tense third-person singular of squash
1
as in mashes
to cause to become a pulpy mass the sort of person who couldn't even squash a bug

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in quells
to put a stop to (something) by the use of force squashed any effort to reform the country's power structure

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of squashes Luckily, this deal squashes that qualm by knocking over $300 from the sticker shocker! — Kelsey Fogarty, PC Magazine, 6 July 2026 Chicken, bacon, and ranch might as well be the holy trio that squashes all fights and satisfies every hangry complaint. — Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 3 Mar. 2026 Calling the deal off also squashes a host of questions Netflix insiders had about how HBO and Netflix would realistically co-exist in the same company, another staffer said. — Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 27 Feb. 2026 Jo Brand squashes one of hers, David Baddiel tries to eat his, while Rose Matafeo and Ed Gamble rip theirs to shreds and Katy Wix overestimates the naturalism of holding a hard hat under one arm for an extended period of time. — Matthew Jackson, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for squashes
  1. mashes
  2. quells
  3. crushes
  4. suppresses
  5. squeezes
  6. subdues
  7. represses
Verb
  • Starling Marte mashes one The hometown fans, who appeared to be outnumbered among the 24,225 at The K, had something to cheer in the fourth inning.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Created by Chicago painter Nathaniel Mary Quinn, the image mashes up caricatures of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Ron Wood into a glorious grotesquerie that channels the colorful glam-trash aesthetics of the band’s late-’70s phase.
    — Stuart Berman, Pitchfork, 13 July 2026
Definition of mashes
Verb
  • Newsom has not said if the newer version of the bill quells this concern.
    — Evelyn Ronan, Sacbee.com, 25 June 2026
  • One way Recover quells concerns is through proof-of-concept collections with supply chain partners.
    — Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 26 Mar. 2026
Definition of quells
Verb
  • Once there, Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf watch as the butterfly approaches the outstretched hand of a woman whose face is obscured, before the ominous presence crushes it in her hands.
    — Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Katie Ledecky crushes the world record in the 1,500 freestyle for her second gold medal at the world swimming championships in Barcelona, Spain.
    — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2026
Definition of crushes
Verb
  • Warming suppresses upwelling — which normally allows colder, deeper and nutrient-rich ocean water to rise closer to the surface.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Testosterone therapy suppresses the body's production of sperm and, in some cases, can lead to permanent infertility.
    — Will Stone, NPR, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of suppresses
Verb
  • As engine speed rises, centrifugal force squeezes the drive clutch closed and pushes the belt farther outward.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Whereas the Scranton method mainly involves molding ultrahot steel in giant forging presses, Repkon added a step in which a fast-spinning machine squeezes and rolls out the metal like clay on a potter’s wheel.
    — Jesse Coburn, ProPublica, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of squeezes
Verb
  • In person, Huang subdues his ironic braggadocio with polite eye contact and rolling belly laughs at his own jokes.
    — Mariella Rudi, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
  • El Nino also subdues the hurricane season in the Atlantic because there is so much heat in the Pacific that outcompetes the Atlantic, Berardelli added.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 May 2026
Definition of subdues
Verb
  • Typically, bees stop laying eggs during the winter, or at least slow down activity, which represses mite activity.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 23 May 2026
  • The portrait of a woman who represses and conceals a rape struck a chord as the #MeToo movement took off and put Trobisch on the map.
    — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 11 Feb. 2026
Definition of represses

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Cite this Entry

“Squashes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/squashes. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

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