crush

/krəʃ/

/krəʃ/

Other forms: crushed; crushing; crushes

When you crush something, you break it into tiny pieces or crumple it. If you crush the cans in your recycling bin, you'll make more room for more.

A train can crush a car that's stalled on the tracks, and a person can crush an insect between her fingers. A figurative meaning of crush is to subdue or stop, like when a military dictator's forces crush a rebel uprising. You can also use crush as a noun to mean "an overwhelming number," like a crush of bodies on a packed subway car, or to describe infatuation, like your crush on your attractive neighbor, who also can be called your crush.

Definitions of crush

1. verb

   compress with force, out of natural shape or condition
   “crush an aluminum can”

   synonyms: mash, squash, squeeze, squelch

   types:

   wring

   twist, squeeze, or compress in order to extract liquid

   stamp

   crush or grind with a heavy instrument

   steamroller

   crush with a steamroller as if to level

   tread

   crush as if by treading on

   telescope

   crush together or collapse

   type of:

   press

   exert pressure or force to or upon
2. verb

   crush or bruise
   synonyms: jam

   type of:

   bruise, contuse

   injure the underlying soft tissue or bone of
3. verb

   break into small pieces
   “The car crushed the toy”

   types:

   bruise

   break up into small pieces for food preparation

   type of:

   break up, fragment, fragmentise, fragmentize

   break or cause to break into pieces
4. verb

   become injured, broken, or distorted by pressure
   “The plastic bottle crushed against the wall”

   type of:

   break, come apart, fall apart, separate, split up

   become separated into pieces or fragments
5. noun

   the act of crushing
   synonyms: compaction, crunch

   types:

   grind, mill, pulverisation, pulverization

   the act of grinding to a powder or dust

   type of:

   compressing, compression

   applying pressure
6. noun

   a dense crowd of people
   synonyms: jam, press

   types:

   snarl-up, traffic jam

   a number of vehicles blocking one another until they can scarcely move

   gridlock

   a traffic jam so bad that no movement is possible

   type of:

   crowd

   a large number of things or people considered together
7. verb

   come down on or keep down by unjust use of one's authority
   synonyms: oppress, suppress

   types:

   keep down, quash, reduce, repress, subdue, subjugate

   put down by force or intimidation
8. verb

   come out better in a competition, race, or conflict
   synonyms: beat, beat out, shell, trounce, vanquish

   beat, circumvent, outfox, outsmart, outwit, overreach

   beat through cleverness and wit

   types:

   outpoint, outscore

   score more points than one's opponents

   walk over

   beat easily

   eliminate

   remove from a contest or race

   mop up, pip, rack up, whip, worst

   defeat thoroughly

   whomp

   beat overwhelmingly

   get the best, have the best, overcome

   overcome, usually through no fault or weakness of the person that is overcome

   rout, spread-eagle, spreadeagle

   defeat disastrously

   get the jump

   be there first

   cheat, chicane, chouse, jockey, screw, shaft

   defeat someone through trickery or deceit

   exceed, outdo, outgo, outmatch, outperform, outstrip, surmount, surpass

   be or do something to a greater degree

   conquer, get over, master, overcome, subdue, surmount

   get on top of; deal with successfully

   best, outdo, outflank, scoop, trump

   get the better of

   outfight

   to fight better than; get the better of

   overmaster, overpower, overwhelm

   overcome by superior force

   checkmate, mate

   place an opponent's king under an attack from which it cannot escape and thus ending the game

   immobilise, immobilize

   make defenseless

   outplay

   excel or defeat in a game

   annihilate, bat, clobber, cream, drub, lick, thrash

   beat thoroughly and conclusively in a competition or fight

   beat, circumvent, outfox, outsmart, outwit, overreach

   beat through cleverness and wit

   outgrow

   grow faster than

   outcry, outshout

   shout louder than

   outroar

   roar louder than

   outsail

   sail faster or better than

   outdraw

   draw a gun faster, or best someone in a gunfight

   outsell

   sell more than others

   outsell

   be sold more often than other, similar products

   outpace

   surpass in speed

   better, break

   surpass in excellence

   outshine

   attract more attention and praise than others

   outrange

   have a greater range than (another gun)

   outweigh

   be heavier than

   outbrave

   be braver than

   out-herod

   surpass someone in cruelty or evil

   outfox

   outdo someone in trickery

   shame

   surpass or beat by a wide margin

   bulldog

   throw a steer by seizing the horns and twisting the neck, as in a rodeo

   outmaneuver, outmanoeuvre, outsmart

   defeat by more skillful maneuvering

   steamroll, steamroller

   overwhelm by using great force

   outmarch

   march longer distances and for a longer time than

   outwear

   last longer than others

   type of:

   defeat, get the better of, overcome

   win a victory over
9. verb

   humiliate or depress completely
   “She was crushed by his refusal of her invitation”

   synonyms: demolish, smash

   type of:

   abase, chagrin, humble, humiliate, mortify

   cause to feel shame; hurt the pride of
10. verb

    make ineffective
    synonyms: break down

    type of:

    alter, change, modify

    cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
11. noun

    leather that has had its grain pattern accentuated
    synonyms: crushed leather

    type of:

    leather

    an animal skin made smooth and flexible by removing the hair and then tanning
12. noun

    temporary love of an adolescent
    synonyms: calf love, infatuation, puppy love

    type of:

    love

    a strong positive emotion of regard and affection