crush

Noun

1. (countable, uncountable) A violent collision or compression; a crash; destruction; ruin.
2. (countable, uncountable) Violent pressure, as of a moving crowd.
3. (countable, uncountable) A violent crowding.
4. (countable, uncountable) A crowd that produces uncomfortable pressure.
5. (countable, slang, uncountable) A group or gang.
6. (countable, uncountable) A crowd control barrier.
7. (countable, uncountable) A drink made by squeezing the juice out of fruit.
8. (countable, informal, uncountable) An infatuation with somebody one is not dating.
9. (broadly, countable, informal, uncountable) An infatuation with somebody one is not dating.
10. (countable, uncountable) A standing stock or cage with movable sides used to restrain livestock for safe handling.
11. (countable, dated, uncountable) A party or festive function.
12. (Australia, countable, uncountable) The process of crushing cane to remove the raw sugar, or the season when this process takes place.
13. (uncountable) The situation where certain colors are so similar as to be hard to distinguish, either as a deliberate effect or as a limitation of a display.
14. (uncountable) A paraphilia involving arousal from seeing things destroyed by crushing.

Verb

1. To press between two hard objects; to squeeze so as to alter the natural shape or integrity, or to force together into a mass.
2. To reduce to fine particles by pounding or grinding.
3. (figuratively) To overwhelm by pressure or weight.
4. (colloquial, figuratively) To do impressively well at (sports events; performances; interviews; etc.).
5. To oppress or grievously burden.
6. To overcome completely; to subdue totally.
7. (intransitive) To be or become broken down or in, or pressed into a smaller volume or area, by external weight or force.
8. (intransitive, transitive) To feel infatuation or unrequited love.
9. To give a compressed or foreshortened appearance to.
10. (transitive) To make certain colors so similar as to be hard to distinguish, either as a deliberate effect or as a limitation of a display.

Pronounced as (IPA)

/kɹʌʃ/

Etymology

Cognate with Middle Dutch: crosen

Cognate with Middle Low German: krossen

Cognate with Swedish: krysta

Cognate with Danish: kryste

Cognate with Icelandic: kreista

Cognate with Faroese: kroysta

Cognate with Gothic: 𐌺𐍂𐌹𐌿𐍃𐍄𐌰𐌽

In summary

From Middle English cruschen (“to crush, smash, squeeze, squash”), from Old French croissir (“to crush”), from Late Latin *crusciō (“to crush”), from Frankish *krustijan (“to crush, squeeze, squash”), from Proto-Germanic *kreustaną (“to crush, grind, strike, smash”).
Cognate with Middle Low German tôkrosten (“to crush, shatter”), Swedish krysta (“to squeeze”), Danish kryste (“to squash”), Icelandic kreista (“to squeeze, squash”), Faroese kroysta (“to squeeze”), Gothic 𐌺𐍂𐌹𐌿𐍃𐍄𐌰𐌽 (kriustan, “to gnash”). Akin also to Middle Dutch crosen (“to bruise, crush”), Middle Low German krossen, krö̂sen, tôkrö̂sen (“to break, shatter”), Old Swedish krusa (“to crush”).

Synonyms

grind

smash

squash

pound

💷

press

mash

squeeze

destroy

pulverize

break

bruise

shatter

crumble

jam

trample

beat

compress

squelch

kill

🔪🩸👤

suppress

flatten

crowd

knead

shatter to pieces

demolish

overwhelm

rout

oppress

pulverise

crumple

strike

dash

💨

mill

infatuation

tear

powder

trounce

crunch

hit

crash

defeat

knead dough

mince

overcome

run over

overpower

break to pieces

throng

break down

crowding