SQUASHING Synonyms: 75 Similar and Opposite Words

squashing

verb

present participle of squash

as in crushing

to cause to become a pulpy mass the sort of person who couldn't even squash a bug

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in suppressing

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 squashing Netanyahu has triumphed in squashing Israeli support for Palestinian national aspirations and normalizing military confrontation with Iran. — Dalia Dassa Kaye, Foreign Affairs, 27 Oct. 2026 Instead of squashing a volume into an area, these universes seem to cram all the dimensions into a lone quantum point. — Quanta Magazine, 25 Sep. 2026 The east-side neighbors going to court join two other communities who have filed lawsuits in hopes of squashing developers' plans to spend millions of dollars on data centers. — Alysa Guffey, IndyStar, 24 Aug. 2026 And Jason Momoa, who recently starred in the game-to-movie blockbuster A Minecraft Movie, appeared to be the best guy to put behind the sci-fi series’ big, bug-squashing hand cannons. — Matt Cabral, Entertainment Weekly, 15 July 2026 Speakers also recounted the resignation from Congress of Marjorie Taylor Greene in January, maintaining that the Republican Party is squashing its anti-Israel voices, while the Democratic Party is electing them. — Joseph Strauss, Sun Sentinel, 8 June 2026 Imagine if Jeff Bezos got bored just owning The Washington Post, firing hundreds of writers and squashing the freedom of its opinion section, and decided to join the American forces parachuting into Venezuela or Iran, only to ignore their orders and seize some prisoners on his own. — Literary Hub, 21 May 2026 Morris fell on top of her, knees spread to keep from squashing Dinah’s chest and maybe killing her. — Stephen King, The Atlantic, 15 May 2026 Tourists can threaten ecosystems by compacting soils, squashing fragile vegetation and bringing in non-native microbes and plant species. — Chas Newkey-Burden, TheWeek, 8 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for squashing

Verb

Miami responded with an 80-yard drive to retake their lead, 24-21, but UNC continued to fight on while crushing clock heading into the fourth quarter.

— Scott Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 Nov. 2026
For working people, patient care coordinators and families who rely on this crossing for their daily commutes, this toll is a crushing financial burden rather than a solution to traffic.

— Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 1 Nov. 2026

Definition of crushing

Verb

The regime remains capable of suppressing any organized resistance in the country, but the growing disaffection of the elite threatens to weaken the state from within.

— Jieun Baek, Foreign Affairs, 30 Oct. 2026
When the neurotoxin stops suppressing nerve signals to those muscles, the lines return.

— Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of suppressing

Verb

There is something instructive in the agent concluding a diatribe on quelling revolutionary violence with a note about feeling inspired.

— Stephanie Wambugu, Vulture, 12 Oct. 2026
The break with Callaway was the first sign that Good Good’s attempts at quelling the crisis were not going well after Clark’s statement on social media Wednesday night.

— Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of quelling

Verb

For an octopus, squeezing into tight spaces can provide an escape route and access to prey that other marine creatures cannot easily reach.

— Reuters, NBC news, 6 Nov. 2026
Much of the growing opposition to data centers has come from rising electricity prices, which are squeezing Americans in a time of already high prices and cost of living.

— Shannon Osaka, Washington Post, 6 Nov. 2026

Definition of squeezing

Verb

The school's head teacher, Krzysztof Ochmanski, was injured while subduing the teenager, officials said.

— James Cirrone, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026
The handful of Israeli passengers grappled with the copilot for several minutes before subduing him and binding his hands with the cord from a set of headphones.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of subduing

Verb

There has also been a steady rise in governments repressing people outside of their borders.

— Mary Lind, The Conversation, 21 Oct. 2026
Egyptian authorities alternated over the decades between tolerating and repressing the group, which was permitted to field candidates in elections for brief periods.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of repressing

Browse Nearby Words

squashes

squashing

squashy

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Style

“Squashing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/squashing. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of squashing

verb

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