1
2
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
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Recent Examples of squashing
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
The actor ended up growing a beard and added some makeup, squashing most concerns that his cover might be blown.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 7 May 2026
Despite squashing his beef with his former crew, Bam Margera will not be back for new stunts, but there will be archival footage of him and Ryan Dunn.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 27 Apr. 2026
Here’s to the people who strive and persevere and realize their dreams, without squashing the dignity of others.
—Donna Vickroy, Chicago Tribune, 15 Apr. 2026
The decision marked the first time in tournament history that the final weeks of the college basketball season would not be played, squashing Atlanta’s plans to host the Final Four.
—Shari Rudavsky, IndyStar, 27 Mar. 2026
The single marked the first collaboration between the two rappers, effectively squashing rumors of their feud.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 20 Mar. 2026
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
The actor ended up growing a beard and added some makeup, squashing most concerns that his cover might be blown.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 7 May 2026
Despite squashing his beef with his former crew, Bam Margera will not be back for new stunts, but there will be archival footage of him and Ryan Dunn.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 27 Apr. 2026
Here’s to the people who strive and persevere and realize their dreams, without squashing the dignity of others.
—Donna Vickroy, Chicago Tribune, 15 Apr. 2026
The decision marked the first time in tournament history that the final weeks of the college basketball season would not be played, squashing Atlanta’s plans to host the Final Four.
—Shari Rudavsky, IndyStar, 27 Mar. 2026
The single marked the first collaboration between the two rappers, effectively squashing rumors of their feud.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 20 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for squashing
Verb
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Even as Washington weighs new strikes and maintains a maritime blockade, both sides warn of ‘crushing’ consequences if attacks resume.—
Munir Ahmed,
Los Angeles Times,
23 May 2026
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The first Greyhound was all about dealing with the backbone-crushing stress of the job at hand.—
Katie Sanders,
Time,
22 May 2026
Verb
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Identifying and naming my jealousy has done far more for me than suppressing it ever did.—
Meehika Barua,
Time,
29 May 2026
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The platform then identifies what is suppressing that number and maps a concrete path to close it, whether through negotiation positioning, skill prioritization or career moves that maximize earning trajectory.—
Ascend Agency,
Chicago Tribune,
27 May 2026
Verb
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Lego’s classic button-mashing combat is spiced up with dodge and parry prompts to evade gunfire and counter incoming attacks.—
Gabriel Zamora,
PC Magazine,
26 May 2026
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In the video, Mariko baked a few salmon fillets and boiled some rice before assembling the easy dish, which involved mashing the salmon into bits with a fork and mixing it into the rice along with Kewpie mayonnaise (a Japanese brand of the condiment), soy sauce and hot sauce.—
Tabitha Parent,
PEOPLE,
26 May 2026
Verb
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Government forces brought reinforcements into Suqaylabiyah, quelling the violence.—
Omar Albam,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Mar. 2026
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In December, the Mouse House pledged to invest $1 billion in OpenAI and entered a three-year licensing agreement for allowing over 200 Disney, Marvel, and Star Wars characters’ likenesses to be used in Sora, quelling some of the text-to-video app’s brushups with copyright law.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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After squeezing the game’s final out, first baseman Leyton MacPherson casually flipped the ball in the air, joined her teammate in a sprint toward Spangler, and gloves began flying.—
Don Norcross,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 May 2026
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After a week of squeezing through the dangerous, mazelike cave network, divers Mikko Paasi and Norrased Palasing emerged from its muddy waters Wednesday to find a cause for hope.—
Alexander Smith,
NBC news,
27 May 2026
Verb
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Officers then shot her with a Taser, subduing her enough to take her into custody, police said.—
City News Service,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
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Trump thought the Secret Service did an excellent job subduing the gunman but the White House is reviewing security for major events for the country's 250th anniversary.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Murillo-Ortega dictatorship has been accused of repressing the Nicaraguan people — especially Catholic and LGBTQ citizens.—
Jake Shore,
Miami Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
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People fed up with rolling blackouts have staged sporadic protests in recent days, banging pots and shouting slogans against the government, rare demonstrations in a country known for repressing dissent.—
Kate Linthicum,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Industry groups, meanwhile, are quashing proposals for higher taxes or stricter regulation by exerting pressure on lawmakers and cozying up to power players in the worlds of philanthropy, medicine, and science.—
Lev Facher,
STAT,
12 May 2026
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Recently, scientists found that the sharks keep their eyesight well into senescence, not only quashing some suspicions that the animals were blind but also revealing their vision remains functional in low light for more than a century.—
Jeanna Bryner,
Scientific American,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Squashing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/squashing. Accessed 31 May. 2026.
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