crush
Noun · VerbOpen English WordNet
Verb (8)crushes, crushed, crushing
- come down on or keep down by unjust use of one's authority“The government oppresses political activists”Synonyms: oppresssuppressMore general act, moveMore specific repress, quash
- to compress with violence, out of natural shape or condition“crush an aluminum can”“squeeze a lemon”Synonyms: squashsquelchmashsqueezeMore general pressMore specific tread, telescope, steamroller, wring, stamp
- come out better in a competition, race, or conflict“Agassi beat Becker in the tennis championship”“We beat the competition”“Harvard defeated Yale in the last football game”Synonyms: beatbeat outshelltrouncevanquishMore general surpass, outstripMore specific overcome, cream, worst, cheat, overpower, get the best, outplay, outdo, outfight, eliminate +7 moreInvolves winSimilar outwit, overreach
- break into small pieces“The car crushed the toy”More general break up, fragmentMore specific bruise
- humiliate or depress completely“She was crushed by his refusal of her invitation”“The death of her son smashed her”Synonyms: smashMore general humiliate, mortify
- crush or bruise“jam a toe”Synonyms: jamMore general bruise, contuse
- make ineffective“Martin Luther King tried to break down racial discrimination”Synonyms: break down
- become injured, broken, or distorted by pressure“The plastic bottle crushed against the wall”
Noun (4)crushes
- leather that has had its grain pattern accentuatedSynonyms: crushed leatherType of leather
- a dense crowd of peopleSynonyms: jampressType of crowdKinds traffic jam, snarl-up
- temporary love of an adolescentSynonyms: puppy lovecalf loveinfatuationType of love
- the act of crushingSynonyms: crunchcompactionType of compression, compressingKinds grind, mill
What does it mean? Question 1 of today’s quiz
Translations
Verb to press or bruise between two hard bodies
- Spanish
- aplastar
- French
- écraser
- German
- zerquetschen
- Italian
- schiacciare
- Portuguese
- esmagar
- Turkish
- ezmek
- Russian
- дави́ть davítʹ
- Chinese
- 挤压 jǐyā
- Japanese
- 押しつぶす oshitsubusu
- Dutch
- verpletteren
Verb to grind into small pieces
The main translation for each meaning, from the langtolang.com multilingual dictionary. Each word links to its full entry there.
Webster's Dictionary (1913)
Origin: OE. cruschen, crousshen, Of. cruisir, croissir, fr. LL. cruscire, prob. of Ger. origin, from a derivative of the word seen in Goth. kruistan to gnash; akin to Sw. krysta to squeeze, Dan. kryste, Icel. kreysta.
1. To press or bruise between two hard bodies; to squeeze, so as to destroy the natural shape or integrity of the parts, or to force together into a mass; as, to crush grapes.
Ye shall not offer unto the Lord that which is bruised, or crushed, or broken, or cut.— Lev. xxii. 24.
The ass... thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam's foot against the wall.— Num. xxii. 25.
2. To reduce to fine particles by pounding or grinding; to comminute; as, to crush quartz.
3. To overwhelm by pressure or weight; to beat or force down, as by an incumbent weight.
To crush the pillars which the pile sustain.— John Dryden
Truth, crushed to earth, shall rise again.— William Cullen Bryant
4. To oppress or burden grievously.
Thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed alway.— Deut. xxviii. 33.
5. To overcome completely; to subdue totally.
Speedily overtaking and crushing the rebels.— Sir. W. Scott.
6. to subdue or overwhelm (a person) by argument or a cutting remark; to cause (a person) to feel chagrin or humiliation; to squelch.
To crush a cup, to drink. obsolete — To crush out. (a) To force out or separate by pressure, as juice from grapes. (b) To overcome or destroy completely; to suppress.
To be or become broken down or in, or pressed into a smaller compass, by external weight or force; as, an eggshell crushes easily.
1. A violent collision or compression; a crash; destruction; ruin.
The wreck of matter, and the crush of worlds.— Joseph Addison
2. Violent pressure, as of a crowd; a crowd which produced uncomfortable pressure; as, a crush at a reception.
Crush hat, a hat which collapses, and can be carried under the arm, and when expanded is held in shape by springs; hence, any hat not injured by compressing. — Crush room, a large room in a theater, opera house, etc., where the audience may promenade or converse during the intermissions; a foyer.
Politics leave very little time for the bow window at White's in the day, or for the crush room of the opera at night.— Thomas Babington Macaulay
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54 · with additions: GCIDE editors