Word Study
crush
CIDE DICTIONARY
crush, v. t. [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.].
- 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. [1913 Webster]"Ye shall not offer unto the Lord that which is bruised, or crushed, or broken, or cut." [1913 Webster]"The ass . . . thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam's foot against the wall." [1913 Webster]
- To reduce to fine particles by pounding or grinding; to comminute; as, to crush quartz. [1913 Webster]
- To overwhelm by pressure or weight; to beat or force down, as by an incumbent weight. [1913 Webster]"To crush the pillars which the pile sustain." [1913 Webster]"Truth, crushed to earth, shall rise again." [1913 Webster]
- To oppress or burden grievously. [1913 Webster]"Thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed alway." [1913 Webster]
- To overcome completely; to subdue totally. [1913 Webster]"Speedily overtaking and crushing the rebels." [1913 Webster]
- to subdue or overwhelm (a person) by argument or a cutting remark; to cause (a person) to feel chagrin or humiliation; to squelch. [PJC]
crush, v. i.
To be or become broken down or in, or pressed into a smaller compass, by external weight or force; as, an eggshell crushes easily. [1913 Webster]
crush, n.
- A violent collision or compression; a crash; destruction; ruin. [1913 Webster]"The wreck of matter, and the crush of worlds." [1913 Webster]
- Violent pressure, as of a crowd; a crowd which produced uncomfortable pressure; as, a crush at a reception. [1913 Webster]"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." [1913 Webster]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
crush, v. & n.
--v.tr.
1 compress with force or violence, so as to break, bruise, etc.
2 reduce to powder by pressure.
3 crease or crumple by rough handling.
4 defeat or subdue completely (crushed by my reply).
--n.
1 an act of crushing.
2 a crowded mass of people.
3 a drink made from the juice of crushed fruit.
4 colloq. a (usu. foll. by on) a (usu. passing) infatuation. b the object of an infatuation (who's the latest crush?).
--v.tr.
1 compress with force or violence, so as to break, bruise, etc.
2 reduce to powder by pressure.
3 crease or crumple by rough handling.
4 defeat or subdue completely (crushed by my reply).
--n.
1 an act of crushing.
2 a crowded mass of people.
3 a drink made from the juice of crushed fruit.
4 colloq. a (usu. foll. by on) a (usu. passing) infatuation. b the object of an infatuation (who's the latest crush?).
Idiom
crush bar a place in a theatre for audiences to buy drinks in the intervals. crush barrier a barrier, esp. a temporary one, for restraining a crowd.
Derivative
crushable adj. crusher n. crushingly adv.
Etymology
ME f. AF crussir, corussier, OF croissir, cruissir, gnash (teeth), crack, f. Rmc
THESAURUS
crush
abase, abash, abolish, abrade, affection, afflict, aggrieve, anguish, annihilate, answer, answer conclusively, argue down, army, asphyxiate, atomize, batter, bear, bear down, beat, beat down, bellyful, beloved, beloved object, bend, blot out, bottle up, bray, break, break down, break into pieces, break to pieces, break up, brecciate, bring down, bring low, bring to tears, bring to terms, bruise, buck, bumper, butter, calf love, capacity, case, cataplasm, censor, charge, chew, choke off, clamp, clamp down on, clamping, clamping down, cluster, cohue, comminute, complement, compress, compression, confound, confute, conquer, contradict, contriturate, controvert, contuse, cork, cork up, crack down on, cram, crash, crease, crinkle, crowd, crumb, crumble, crumple, crunch, cut to pieces, cut up, damp down, darling, dash, dear, dear one, dearly beloved, debase, defeat, degrade, deluge, demean, demolish, demoralize, dental pulp, deny, depress, desolate, destroy, devastate, diffuse, diminish, disgrace, disintegrate, dismiss, disperse, dispose of, disrupt, draw tears, drove, drown, dump, dump on, embarrass, embitter, ensphere, express, extinguish, fell, fill, finish, fission, flatten, flock, flood, floor, flour, fondness, fragment, full house, full measure, gag, galaxy, grain, granulate, granulize, grate, grieve, grind, grind to powder, gust, gusto, heap, hold down, horde, host, humble, humiliate, infatuation, inundate, jam, jam up, jump on, keep down, keep under, kill, knock down, lading, legion, levigate, light of love, likes, liking, load, love, loved one, lower, macerate, maim, make mincemeat of, mangle, mash, mass, master, masticate, mill, mince, mob, mortify, mouthful, multitude, mush, muzzle, nip, nonplus, obliterate, oppress, overcome, overmaster, overpower, override, overthrow, overturn, overwhelm, panoply, paper pulp, parry, pash, passing fancy, passion, paste, pestle, pinch, pith, plaster, porridge, poultice, pound, pour water on, powder, press, pressure, prostrate, psych out, pudding, pulp, pulp lead, pulpify, pulpwood, pulverize, puppy love, push, put down, put to silence, quash, quell, quench, rabble, rag pulp, rebut, reduce, reduce to powder, reduce to silence, refute, relish, repress, ride down, rout, ruck, ruin, rumple, sauce, scatter, scrunch, set down, settle, shake, shame, shard, shatter, shiver, shred, shut down on, shut up, silence, sit down on, sit on, skinful, smash, smash all opposition, smash up, smother, snootful, sorrow, spate, splinter, sponge, squab, squash, squeeze, squeezing, squelch, squish, stanch, stifle, strangle, stultify, subdue, subjugate, subvert, suffocate, sulfate pulp, sulfite pulp, suppress, take down, taste, thrash, throng, throttle, tighten, tightening, torment, trample down, trample underfoot, tread underfoot, trip up, triturate, truelove, tweak, tyrannize, unbrace, undermine, undo, unman, unnerve, unstring, upset, vanquish, wad up, weakness, well-beloved, white lead, wood pulp, wreck, wrinkleROGET THESAURUS
crush
Assemblage
N assemblage, collection, collocation, colligation, compilation, levy, gathering, ingathering, muster, attroupement, team, concourse, conflux, congregation, contesseration, convergence, meeting, levee, reunion, drawing room, at home, conversazione, assembly, congress, convention, conventicle, gemote, conclave, posse, posse comitatus, Noah's ark, miscellany, collectanea, museum, menagerie, museology, crowd, throng, group, flood, rush, deluge, rabble, mob, press, crush, cohue, horde, body, tribe, crew, gang, knot, squad, band, party, swarm, shoal, school, covey, flock, herd, drove, atajo, bunch, drive, force, mulada, remuda, roundup, array, bevy, galaxy, corps, company, troop, troupe, task force, army, regiment, host, populousness, clan, brotherhood, fraternity, sorority, association, volley, shower, storm, cloud, group, cluster, Pleiades, clump, pencil, set, batch, lot, pack, budget, assortment, bunch, parcel, packet, package, bundle, fascine, fasces, bale, seron, seroon, fagot, wisp, truss, tuft, shock, rick, fardel, stack, sheaf, haycock, fascicle, fascicule, fasciculus, gavel, hattock, stook, accumulation, congeries, heap, lump, pile, rouleau, tissue, mass, pyramid, bing, drift, snowball, snowdrift, acervation, cumulation, glomeration, agglomeration, conglobation, conglomeration, conglomerate, coacervate, coacervation, coagmentation, aggregation, concentration, congestion, omnium gaterum, spicilegium, black hole of Calcutta, quantity, collector, gatherer, whip, whipper in, assembled, closely packed, dense, serried, crowded to suffocation, teeming, swarming, populous, as thick as hops, all of a heap, fasciculated cumulative, the plot thickens, acervatim, tibi seris tibi metis.Contraction
VB become small, become smaller, lessen, decrease, grow less, dwindle, shrink, contract, narrow, shrivel, collapse, wither, lose flesh, wizen, fall away, waste, wane, ebb, decay, be smaller than, fall short of, not come up to, render smaller, lessen, diminish, contract, draw in, narrow, coarctate, boil down, constrict, constringe, condense, compress, squeeze, corrugate, crimp, crunch, crush, crumple up, warp, purse up, pack, squeeze, stow, pinch, tighten, strangle, cramp, dwarf, bedwarf, shorten, circumscribe, restrain, (subtraction) 38 abrade, pare, reduce, attenuate, rub down, scrape, file, file down, grind, grind down, chip, shave, shear, wear down.Humility
VB be humble, deign, vouchsafe, condescend, humble oneself, demean oneself, stoop, stoop to conquer, carry coals, submit, submit with a good grace, yield the palm, lower one's tone, lower one's note, sing small, draw in one's horns, sober down, hide one's face, hide one's diminished head, not dare to show one's face, take shame to oneself, not have a word to say for oneself, feel shame, be conscious of shame, feel disgrace, be conscious of disgrace, drink the cup of humiliation to the dregs, blush for, blush up to the eves, redden, change color, color up, hang one's head, look foolish, feel small, render humble, humble, humiliate, let down, set down, take down, tread down, frown down, snub, abash, abase, make one sing small, strike dumb, teach one his distance, put down, take down a peg, take down a peg lower, throw into the shade, cast into the shade, stare out of countenance, put out of countenance, put to the blush, confuse, ashame, mortify, disgrace, crush, send away with a flea in one's ear, get a setdown.Pulverulence
VB come to dust, be disintegrated, be reduced to powder reduce to powder, grind to powder, pulverize, comminute, granulate, triturate, levigate, scrape, file, abrade, rub down, grind, grate, rasp, pound, bray, bruise, contuse, contund, beat, crush, cranch, craunch, crunch, scranch, crumble, disintegrate, attenuate.Disappointment
VB be disappointed, look blank, look blue, look aghast, stand aghast, find to one's cost, laugh on the wrong side of one's mouth, find one a false prophet, not realize one's hope, not realize one's expectation, disappoint, frustrate, discomfit, crush, defeat (failure), crush one's hope, dash one's hope, balk one's hope, disappoint one's hope, blight one's hope, falsify one's hope, defeat one's hope, discourage, balk, jilt, bilk, play one false, play a trick, dash the cup from the lips, tantalize, dumfound, dumbfound, dumbfounder, dumfounder (astonish).For further exploring for "crush" in Webster Dictionary Online