crush Hear it!

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crush definition

crush (krus̸h)

transitive verb

  1. to press between two opposing forces so as to break or injure; put out of shape or condition by pressure; squeeze together; crumple
  2. to press, grind, or pound into small particles or into powder
  3. to subdue or suppress by or as by force; overwhelm
  4. to oppress harshly
  5. to extract by pressing or squeezing

Etymology: ME crushen < OFr croisir, to gnash (teeth), crash, break < Frank *krostjan, to gnash; akin to OSwed krysta, Goth kriustan

intransitive verb

  1. to be or become crushed
  2. to press forward; crowd (into, against, etc.)

noun

  1. a crushing; severe pressure
  2. a crowded mass, esp. of people
  3. ☆ Informal an infatuation I had a crush on her

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

idioms crush idiom

crush Synonyms

crush

v.

  1. To break into small pieces

    smash, pulverize, pound, grind; see break 2, grind 1.

  2. To press so as to injure or break

    press, mash, crumple, squash; see damage 1, mash, press 1.

  3. To defeat utterly

    overwhelm, beat down, force down, annihilate; see defeat 1, 2. See syn. study at beat.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

crush Usage Examples

Object

  • rebellion: But American forces failed to prevent Saddam from crushing the rebellion, that led to the death of thousands of Iraqis.

Subject

  • ice: To prevent the ship being crushed by ice she was sunk in shallow water.

Adjective modifier

  • embarrassing: Who is your most embarrassing crush that you've ever had?

Modifies a noun

  • fracture: Crush fractures of the vertebrae are thought to be three times as common as hip fractures.

Modifying Another Word

  • brutally: Two years later he moved back to Bulgaria where he led a worker's revolt that was brutally crushed by the capitalist government.

Noun used with modifier

  • percent: Percent crush declines to film the session we might the only hands.

Preposition: in

  • ice: The ship wouldn't be crushed in pack ice but it was sealed in until spring.

Preposition: by

  • ice: To prevent the ship being crushed by ice she was sunk in shallow water.
crush usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

crush quotes

I don't meet competition. I crush it.

-Reston,James B(arrett)

crush quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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MLA Style

"crush." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/crush>

APA Style

crush. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/crush

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