squash1 verbsquash2 noun
squashsquash1 /skwɒʃ $ skwɑːʃ, skwɒːʃ/ ●●○ verb 
WORD ORIGINsquash1
Origin:
1500-1600 Old French esquasser, from Latin quassare ‘to shake’VERB TABLE
squash
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | squash |
| he, she, it | squashes | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | squashed |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have squashed |
| he, she, it | has squashed | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had squashed |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will squash |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have squashed |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am squashing |
| he, she, it | is squashing | |
| you, we, they | are squashing | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was squashing |
| you, we, they | were squashing | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been squashing |
| he, she, it | has been squashing | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been squashing |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be squashing |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been squashing |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- He squashed the can flat between his hands.
- He wouldn't even squash a fly, let alone murder someone.
- Her lawyers acted quickly to squash any of her husband's claims on her property.
- Hey! You're squashing me!
- I'm afraid the chocolates will get squashed in my suitcase.
- Someone sat on my hat and squashed it.
- The chairman acted quickly to squash rumours of a takeover bid.
- Squashing a bad girl is like trying to squash a bluebottle.
- A nuisance to be squashed on a countertop or squirted with pesticide.
- Among edgy garrisons, with military pride an ingredient, something to be squashed immediately.
- But, even as the thought occurred to her, she squashed it angrily.
- In the refrigerator, there was some unlikely aborted thing squashed into a stainless-steel bowl.
- Later I went for a drive, squashed between Koju and Raju, and burst into tears.
- The bag was bundled and squeezed, stretched and squashed, between the legs of the stumbling mass.
- They damned the no-nonsense, authoritarian government, which peremptorily squashed even the smallest perceived threat to social peace.
THESAURUS
to push something down or against a surface with your fingers or foot: · The doctor gently pressed her stomach.· To move forward, press the accelerator.· I pressed ‘delete’ and started again.
to press something inwards from both sides: · It’s one of those balls that make a funny noise when you squeeze it.· Squeeze the lemon and add the juice to the sauce.
to press something against a surface accidentally and damage it by making it flat: · Don’t squash the tomatoes.· He sat on my hat and squashed it.
to press something very hard so that it breaks into very small pieces, or is very badly damaged: · Crush two cloves of garlic.· The front of the car was completely crushed in the crash.
to press cooked vegetables or fruit until they are soft and smooth: · Mash the potatoes while they are warm.· Babies love mashed bananas.
to press something solid until it becomes a powder, using a machine or tool: · the machine that grinds the corn· freshly ground coffee
Longman Language Activatorto press something so hard that it breaks, folds, or becomes flat to damage something, especially something soft, by pressing it and making it flat: · Someone sat on my hat and squashed it.· He wouldn't even squash a fly, let alone murder someone.squash something flat: · He squashed the can flat between his hands.
to press something so hard that it gets damaged or broken into pieces: · His leg was crushed in the accident.· Coconuts have to be crushed in order to extract their oil.· He closed his fist over the flower, crushing it into a pulp.
to squash something until it is completely flat: · He fell against me so heavily I thought he was going to flatten me.· Her little car was completely flattened in the accident.
to press fruit or cooked vegetables with a fork or similar tool, until they are soft and smooth: · Mash the bananas and add them to the mixture.mash something up/mash up something: · Boil the potatoes and then mash them up.
to break something such as coffee beans or corn into powder, using a machine or special tool: · Grind some black pepper over the salad.grind something into something: · These huge stones were once used for grinding wheat into flour.
to press or hit something repeatedly, especially using a tool, so that it breaks into very small pieces or becomes soft or flat: · He pounded some garlic and ginger and put it in the pan.pound something flat: · Here the loose earth had been pounded flat by thousands of feet.
to crush a fruit or vegetable using special equipment to remove the juice, oil etc: · Friends come to help us gather the crop and press the grapes.· Enough olives had been gathered and pressed to produce 1000 litres of cooking oil.
to press a piece of paper or cloth into the shape of a ball: screw up something: · Sally screwed up the letter she was writing and threw it into the wastebasket.screw something/it up: · He screwed his handkerchief up into a ball and put it in his pocket.
to press a piece of paper or cloth so that it becomes smaller or bent: · He crumpled the cheque and threw it across the room.· Crumple up the bedclothes so it looks as though you slept there.
when something has been squashed something soft that is squashed is damaged because it has been pressed and made flatter: · He held out a squashed packet of cigarettes and offered me one.· We can't give her those chocolates - they're all squashed.
something that is crushed has been squashed and broken by something heavy: · Remove the butter from the heat and stir in the crushed biscuits.· The dog hurtled through the garden, leaving a trail of crushed plants.
squashed until completely flat: · There was a flattened Coca-Cola can on the ground.· a mountain of flattened cardboard boxes
mashed food has been squashed with something such as a fork until it is soft and smooth: · He ate the mashed potatoes but not the meat.· a spoonful of mashed swede
ground coffee, corn, or other food has been made into powder using a special machine or tool: · freshly ground black coffee· ground almonds
to stop something quickly before it has time to develop to stop a bad situation or bad behaviour when it first starts, before it can develop further: · If I'd known about their plan I could have nipped it in the bud there and then.· It's important to nip this problem in the bud.
to quickly stop something such as opposition to your plans that is likely to cause you trouble: · Her lawyers acted quickly to squash any of her husband's claims on her property.squash a rumour: · The chairman acted quickly to squash rumours of a takeover bid.
to stop something quickly and completely: · Losing funding now would kill the project.· Mr Howard released a statement in an effort to kill speculation in the press.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY
The cake got a bit squashed on the way here.
1press [transitive] to press something into a flatter shape, often breaking or damaging it SYN flatten: The cake got a bit squashed on the way here. (=say that a rumour etc is not true) The government was quick to squash any hopes of reform.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB The government was quick to squash any hopes of reform.· Somebody hides, then everybody looks for that person and, when they find them, they squash in with them.· I squashed in under my desk, trying to make myself as small as possible.
· Shifting round the table, squashing up against Jo to make room for them all.· As you accelerated, you would see the Universe itself appear to squash up in the direction of flight.· I didn't care to be squashed up in the shelter.
The cake got a bit squashed on the way here.squash something down Her hair had been squashed down by her hat. Move over – you’re squashing me.2small space [intransitive, transitive always + adverb/preposition] to push yourself or something else into a space that is too small SYN squeezesquash into Seven of us squashed into the car.squash something in We can probably squash another couple of things in.3stop something [transitive] informal to use your power or authority to stop something SYN quash: Her suggestions were always squashed.squash rumours/hopes/reports etc (=say that a rumour etc is not true) The government was quick to squash any hopes of reform.4control emotion [transitive] to control or ignore an emotion SYN suppress: She felt anger rising but quickly squashed it.squash up phrasal verb British English to move closer together or closer to something, especially in order to make room for someone or something elsesquash up against The others squashed up against Jo.squash1 verbsquash2 noun
squashsquash2 ●○○ noun 1sport [uncountable] a game played by two people who use rackets to hit a small rubber ball against the walls of a square court: a squash court2it’s a squash British English spoken used to say that there is not enough space for everyone to fit in comfortably3vegetable [countable, uncountable] one of a group of large vegetables with solid flesh and hard skins, such as pumpkins4drink [uncountable] British English a drink made from fruit juice, sugar, and water: a glass of orange squash