crush

1 of 2

verb

crushed; crushing; crushes

transitive verb

1
a
: to squeeze or force by pressure so as to alter or destroy structure
crush grapes
b
: to squeeze together into a mass
She crushed her clothes into a bag.
2
: to reduce to particles by pounding or grinding
crush rock
3
a
: to subdue completely
The rebellion was crushed.
b
: to cause overwhelming emotional pain to (someone)
Her insults crushed him.
c
: to oppress or burden grievously
crushed by debt
d
: to suppress or overwhelm as if by pressure or weight
4
: crowd, push
were crushed into the elevator
5
: hug, embrace
She crushed her child to her breast.
6
archaic : drink

intransitive verb

1
: to advance with or as if with crushing
The crowd crushed ruthlessly toward the exit.
2
: to become crushed
The stewed tomatoes crush easily.
3
obsolete : crash
4
informal : to experience an intense and usually passing infatuation : to have a crush on someone
usually used with on
She's been crushing on him all summer.Turns out Fat Monica was motivated to lose all the weight after she overhead Chandler (whom she was crushing on) tell Ross: "I don't want to be stuck here all night with your fat sister."Entertainment Weekly
crushable adjective
crusher noun
crushingly adverb

crush

2 of 2

noun

1
: an intense and usually passing infatuation
have a crush on someone
also : the object of infatuation
2
a
: crowd, mob
especially : a crowd of people pressing against one another
b
: a crowding together (as of people)
3
: an act of crushing
4
: the quantity of material crushed
crushproof adjective
Choose the Right Synonym for crush

crowd, throng, horde, crush, mob mean an assembled multitude.

crowd implies a close gathering and pressing together.

a crowd gathered

throng and horde suggest movement and pushing.

a throng of reporters
a horde of shoppers

crush emphasizes the compactness of the group, the difficulty of individual movement, and the attendant discomfort.

a crush of fans

mob implies a disorderly crowd with the potential for violence.

an angry mob

Example Sentences

Verb Unfortunately some of the flowers got crushed when we were moving them. The bicycle was crushed under the truck's tires. The machine crushes the cans so that they can be stored until they are recycled. Her arm was crushed in the accident. Crush the nuts and sprinkle them on top of the cake. The rocks were crushed into dust. Noun Yesterday I saw my old high school crush for the first time in five years. The crush in the train station is at its worst during the afternoon rush hour. Outside the hotel stood a crush of reporters waiting for her arrival. See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Introducing a vaccine could trigger trade bans that would crush the enormous US export market, turn sectors of the poultry trade against each other, and possibly provoke consumer uneasiness about food safety. Maryn Mckenna, WIRED, 8 Mar. 2023 That means not letting the milk crush the bread or putting bruisable fruit at the bottom of the bag. Lindsay Lee Wallace, SELF, 24 Feb. 2023 Not the producers letting the women get all dolled up and excited to have a night with the Bachelor only to have a stranger crush their dreams! Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 21 Feb. 2023 The porcine one is Pooh’s enforcer and hog-ties one of the vacationing women so Pooh can crush her head with a car (the old bear has given up the ways of man but still drives) and kills another by smacking his trusty sledgehammer into her face. Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 17 Feb. 2023 This Christmas spin on the classic Cinderella story features a determined young woman who won't let her wicked stepmother and stepsisters crush her dreams to become a singer. Kristen Adaway, Woman's Day, 29 Nov. 2022 Holding us to web2 milestones is only going to crush the growth that brands like ours can have. Amy Shoenthal, Forbes, 11 July 2022 Quantumania's numbers crush the debut of the first installment, 2015's Ant-Man ($57 million), and its sequel, 2018's Ant-Man and the Wasp ($75 million). Jessica Wang, EW.com, 19 Feb. 2023 The complexities of a strange new power dynamic could easily crush the strongest relationship, which is why open communication is so important. Hazlitt, 1 Feb. 2023
Noun
Take suggestive selfies and send them to your crush. Women's Health, 7 Feb. 2023 Want to send a witty card or ask out your crush with a clever quip? Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 25 Jan. 2023 Spending quality time with your crush or partner on Valentine's Day can be the perfect way to learn more about each other. Mariah Thomas, Good Housekeeping, 23 Jan. 2023 Or showing up to your crush's house blasting music outside of their window? Chaise Sanders, Country Living, 20 Jan. 2023 Your orange crush lost an election and threw a tantrum and suckered all you groupies into doing something really stupid and short-sighted. Philip Martin, Arkansas Online, 17 Jan. 2023 Ask out your crush, plan a fun date with your S.O., or play the lottery. Lisa Stardust, refinery29.com, 27 Dec. 2022 Maybe your office crush will take notice and ask you out on a date. Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 26 Dec. 2022 Here are the best cheap Valentine’s Day date ideas that your crush will totally have heart-eyes over. Carolyn Twersky, Seventeen, 22 Dec. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'crush.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English crusshen, from Anglo-French croissir, croistre, of Germanic origin; akin to Middle Low German krossen to crush

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

1599, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Time Traveler
The first known use of crush was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near crush

Cite this Entry

“Crush.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crush. Accessed 24 Mar. 2023.

Kids Definition

crush

1 of 2 verb
1
: to squeeze together so as to break or destroy the natural shape or condition
crush grapes
2
3
: to break into fine pieces by pressing, pounding, or grinding
crush stone
4
a
: overwhelm sense 2
crushed the enemy
crusher noun

crush

2 of 2 noun
1
: an act of crushing
2
: a crowding together of many people
3
: a strong but often temporary liking : infatuation
have a crush on someone

More from Merriam-Webster on crush

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