crush1 verbcrush2 noun
crushcrush1 /krʌʃ/ ●●○ verb [transitive] 
WORD ORIGINcrush1
Origin:
1300-1400 Old French cruisirVERB TABLE
crush
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | crush |
| he, she, it | crushes | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | crushed |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have crushed |
| he, she, it | has crushed | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had crushed |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will crush |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have crushed |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am crushing |
| he, she, it | is crushing | |
| you, we, they | are crushing | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was crushing |
| you, we, they | were crushing | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been crushing |
| he, she, it | has been crushing | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been crushing |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be crushing |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been crushing |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Add a handful of crushed dill to a bottle of white wine vinegar.
- Coconuts have to be crushed in order to extract their oil.
- He closed his fist over the flower, crushing it into a pulp.
- Joe crushed his cigarette into an ashtray.
- Pete was crushed by his wife's sudden death.
- Seles crushed Sabatini in last night's match.
- The army is stationed near the capital, ready to crush any signs of a revolt.
- The rebellion was quickly crushed by forces loyal to the President.
- And it is like a butterfly wing, fragile and quickly crushed between finger and thumb even as we grasp it.
- Efforts to crush the trade have been stepped up recently.
- He had shouldered the troubles of the world and been crushed.
- His laughter stopped in the middle; he scowled as if four very bad eggs had been crushed on his head.
- Out he went, his blue and ivory feet crushing the wet salad of the lawn.
- The whalers spring into the sea and the boat is crushed beneath the hull.
- Was Armand crushed in the process?
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 beat someone very easily in a game, competition, election etc informal to completely beat someone in a game, competition, election etc: · Wow, the Raiders just slaughtered the Seahawks again.· The party strategy was to form an alliance to crush the communists.
informal also cream American spoken to beat someone very easily in a game, competition, election etc: · We've been clobbered twice now by Central High's basketball team.· Chicago hammered Boston in an away game on Saturday.· "How'd the game go?" "We creamed 'em!"
especially British to beat an opposing team or political party easily and completely: · The Australians have once again routed the English cricket team.
informal to defeat someone completely in an argument or competition: · I'd think twice before I started a fight with him - he'd wipe the floor with me!
to play much better than an opponent or team in a game and beat them easily: · Ohio outplayed Michigan, especially in the fourth quarter, winning by 14 points.
to 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 opposition to a government to stop people opposing or fighting against the government, by using military force or by making their activities illegal: · The army acted swiftly to suppress the uprising.· Any opposition to the regime is ruthlessly suppressed.· The authorities suppressed publication of the journal.
: put down a revolt/rebellion/uprising etc to stop it by using military force against the people involved: · The uprising was quickly put down.· The rebellion was put down and its leaders were executed.
if the police or army break up something such as an organized protest, they use force to stop it: break up something: · The police were instructed to break up the demonstration and arrest the ringleaders.break something up: · The protest continued peacefully until government troops moved in to break it up.
to take action to stop people behaving in a violent, angry way, especially by using force: · The soldiers managed to subdue the angry crowd.· The army has been used to subdue unrest in the country's capital.
to use severe methods to stop people who are fighting or opposing you: · The rebellion was quickly crushed by forces loyal to the President.· The army is stationed near the capital, ready to crush any signs of a revolt.
especially written to make violent opposition stop by using force when it first starts, before it becomes impossible to control: · Extra police were called in to quell the disturbance.· An anti-government riot was promptly quelled by soldiers using guns and teargas.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY
Two people were crushed to death in the rush to escape.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
1 Two people were crushed to death in the rush to escape. (=extremely hard to bear)· Her loss came as a devastating blow to her father.
(=stop it from being successful)· The government foiled an armed coup by rebel soldiers.
(=a complete defeat, by a very large amount)· He quit as prime minister following a crushing defeat in regional elections.
(=broken into small pieces, for example to add to a drink)· Serve the cocktail with crushed ice.
(=end it by force)· Troops moved in to suppress the rebellion.
(=end it by force)· He added that any resistance would be crushed.
(=end it by force)· The Russians speedily crushed the revolt.
(=a win by a very large amount)· Australia won a crushing 139-run victory over the West Indies.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSNOUN· Undaunted, we crushed our bodies against the stone and eased ourselves up and over.· Over the debris of the tower and the crushed bodies they battered the doors with it.
· Read in studio A baby boy narrowly escaped death when his pram was crushed between a car and a garden wall.· A kid starts a bulldozer from a site next door, crushes seven police cars.· It would crush his car like an eggshell with its size and the combined speeds.· He was crushed as the stolen car tried to make its escape.
· The period of consciousness, while the victims were being crushed prior to their death, lasted some 30 minutes at most.· Margaret suffered a slow death by having weights stacked on her back, eventually crushing her to death.· Many of them were crushed to death.· Read in studio A woman rider has been crushed to death by her own horse during a trials event.· The victims were crushed to death when the coach turned over in the air and smashed into the ground roof downwards.· There are instances of people being crushed to death or pushed under trains by the crush of excursionists on station platforms.· Read in studio A labourer has been crushed to death by a cement lorry.· In a crash your baby could be crushed to death.
· It seemed to her that her heart had been crushed in metal hands, icy cold and shining.· Paul crushes John's hand in his.· Jeane Russell smiled, and crushed the man's hand as if it were an eggshell.· This he eventually does, crushing Curley's hand.
· Her lower legs were so badly crushed there was no hope of saving them.· This assertion was a crushing blow to the hopes of the Seminoles and the blacks.
· You will need two identical drinking glasses ice cubes salt First you need to crush the ice cubes.· When they slid him out he moved like a bag of crushed ice.· But all at once her heart felt as if it was crushed in ice.
· I crush the pepper between my fingers until the juice comes, and then rinse my fingers in the bowl of water.
· The last important resistance to modernization was crushed in the Satsuma rebellion of 1877.· In the summer he crushed Geoffrey's rebellion and compelled him to renounce his claim.· But instead helping to crush the rebellion, the teachers grinned, shrugged and told the stewards to relax.
· Mowbray's body crashed against the earth, his brains spattering as the sharp, icy cobbles crushed his skull.· He not only kills her, he crushes her skull and splits her body like a shellfish.· It's so tight it would crush his skull.· The superman testing himself with an ax, crushing the skulls of old women.· He had to summon all his willpower to pass under a bridge because he would experience a crushing pressure on the skull.
· Troops were sent in to crush the uprising at Carandiru prison in Sao Paulo.
· As the road slithers around Milkovici and into the regional capital of Mostar the illusion is crushed under the weight of ruins.· What her daddy may have felt was the crushing weight of building a perfect world for his baby.
VERB· The inexperienced often crash into the coral, breaking and crushing it.· Becky put her heel on the nearest piece of broken glass, and crushed it.
· Philip stood on the vase, trying not to crush the flowers that were in it.· Locked side by side we squeezed fiercely, our sweaty temples jammed together, each trying to crush the other into submission.
to press something so hard that it breaks or is damaged: His leg was crushed in the accident. Two people were crushed to death in the rush to escape.2to press something in order to break it into very small pieces or into a powder: Crush two cloves of garlic.3crush a rebellion/uprising/revolt etc to use severe methods to stop people from fighting you or opposing you SYN put down: The revolution was crushed within days.4crush somebody’s hopes/enthusiasm/confidence etc to make someone lose all hope, confidence etc5to make someone feel extremely upset or shocked: Sara was crushed by their insults.crush on somebody phrasal verb American English informal to have a feeling of romantic love for someone, especially someone you do not know well: a guy in my class that I’m crushing oncrush1 verbcrush2 noun
crushcrush2 noun EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Airports are expecting a record crush of passengers this holiday season.
- A dangerous crush followed a surge at the front of the stage and the security subsequently panicked.
- Dear Kidsday: I have a crush on a boy.
- Grandson Richard, 39, was in a crush of people all heading the same way.
- Jess wormed through the crush, at last emerging into daylight.
- Now he has moved back, but my good friend has a crush on him, too.
- They are there to protect him from the crush of popularity.
- When I realized that Hilda's was more than a normal crush, I should have stopped it I suppose.
THESAURUSpreparing food
to cut cheese, carrot etc into small pieces by rubbing it against a special tool: · Grate the cheese and sprinkle it over the top of the pasta.
to make butter, chocolate etc become liquid: · Melt the butter, chocolate, and 1 teaspoon of cream over a low heat.
British English, sift American English to put flour or other powders through a sieve (=tool like a net made of wire, which you use for removing larger grains or pieces): · Sift the flour and cocoa before adding to the rest of the mixture.
to cut something into pieces, especially using a big knife: · Chop up the vegetables.
to cut vegetables or meat into small square pieces: · Dice the carrots and then fry them in butter.
to add salt, pepper etc to food: · Season the meat before grilling.
to use a lot of force to break something such as seeds into very small pieces or into a powder: · Add one clove of crushed garlic.
to combine different foods together: · Mix together all the ingredients in one bowl.
to mix food together quickly with a fork or other tool: · Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks.
to turn food around with a spoon: · Stir the sauce gently to prevent burning.
to gently mix another substance into a mixture: · Fold in the beaten egg whites.
to press dough (=a mixture of flour and water) many times with your hands when you are making bread: · Knead the dough for ten minutes, until smooth.
to slowly pour a small amount of a liquid onto something: · Drizzle with olive oil.
to leave something somewhere, before you do something else with it: · Let the mixture stand for a couple of hours so that it cools naturally.
to put different foods together as part of a meal: · Serve with rice and a salad.· Serve the aubergines on a bed of lettuce.
a large number of people together in one place: · The exhibition is expected to attract large crowds of visitors.
a crowd of noisy and violent people who are difficult to control: · The mob set fire to cars and buildings.
a very large crowd which is not moving and which is very difficult to move through: · the mass of people in the station
a large crowd of people, especially people who are behaving in a way that you disapprove of or that annoys you: · the hordes of tourists on the island
[plural] a crowd of people – used especially when you are talking about a crowd of people who move from one place to another: · The public came in droves to see the event.
literary a very large crowd: · A great throng had gathered to listen to his speech.
a large group of people of the same type, especially when they have a leader: · A flock of children were being shown through the museum.
a group of people of the same type, especially a group you do not approve of: · A pack of reporters shouted questions.
a large crowd of people who are moving quickly in many directions in a very uncontrolled way: · a swarm of children in the playground
a crowd of people who are pressed close together: · There was such a crush on the Metro this morning.
formal literary a very large number of people, especially ordinary people: · The Emperor came out to speak to the multitude.
→ group1 noun [uncountable] a feeling of liking someone very much and caring a lot about them – used about people in your family, or someone you feel sexually attracted to: · All children need love, attention, and encouragement.· We don’t need words to express our love for each other.
noun [uncountable] a gentle feeling of love which makes you want to be kind to someone and show them that you love them – used especially about friends and members of your family: · My mother never showed us us any affection.· Alison and I had been at school together, and I felt great affection for her.
noun [uncountable] very strong love for someone in which you want to give them a lot of attention and look after them – used especially about strong feelings of love for your wife, husband, children etc: · His recovery is largely due to the devotion of his wife and family
noun [uncountable] a strong and exciting feeling of love for someone you are extremely sexually attracted to: · He loved her still, with just the same passion as he always had.· There was no passion in their relationship.
noun [countable, uncountable] a strong feeling of love for someone, in which you cannot stop thinking about them, and which seems silly because you do not know them very well: · She hoped that his ridiculous infatuation would soon wear off.· His infatuation with Diane seemed to be growing.· a childhood infatuation
noun [uncountable] the feeling of loving someone and the nice things you do to show this – used about someone you are sexually attracted to: · The romance had gone out of their relationship.· In the UK, one in ten people have found romance over the Internet.
noun [countable] a very strong feeling of love and sexual attraction for someone such as a teacher or a famous person, especially when there is no chance of you having a relationship with that person because you are much younger than them: · She had a teenage crush on one of her teachers.· I had a big crush on Tom Cruise when I was growing up.· a schoolgirl crush
Longman Language Activatora large number of people together in a public place a large number of people together in one place: · I don't go to football games because I don't like big crowds.crowd of: · a crowd of angry protesterscrowds of people/visitors/tourists etc: · The exhibition is expected to attract large crowds of visitors.
a large crowd of people who are behaving in a way that you disapprove of or that annoys you: horde/hordes of: · She was chased down the steps of the courthouse by a horde of reporters and camera crews.· This time of year is perfect to visit New York because it isn't overrun with the hordes of tourists.
a crowd of noisy and violent people who are difficult to control: · The mob set fire to cars and buildings.mob of: · A mob of fans caused millions of pounds worth of damage in the area surrounding the stadium.
a very large crowd which is not moving and which is very difficult to move through: mass of: · A mass of people stood before the courthouse.seething mass (=when there are far too many people all pushing and trying to go somewhere): · The bus station was a seething mass of people.
a large crowd of people who are moving quickly in many directions in a very uncontrolled way: swarm of: · Outside the school a swarm of small children ran around shouting and laughing.
a very large crowd: · The throng greeted Sutter with cheers and applause.throng of: · a throng of reporters· Animals and carts moved along the dusty road with the throng of refugees.
a crowd of people who are all pressed close together so that it is very difficult to move between them: · Unable to get out of the crush, Chris began to panic.· A number of people fainted in the crush.· There was chaos as people tried to escape the flames and two children were badly injured in the crush.
to love someone especially in a sexual or romantic way to have a strong feeling of liking someone, caring about them, and being sexually attracted to them: · He stroked her hair and murmured, "I love you."· He was the only man she had ever loved.love somebody very much: · We still love each other very much.
to love someone very much, so that you think about them all the time and want to be with them all the time: · I think I'm in love!be in love with: · How can you marry Adam when you're in love with someone else?be madly in love/very much in love (=very strongly in love): · We were both seventeen and madly in love.
informal to love someone very much, especially in a way that you cannot control: · Jo's crazy about you.
British spoken to be sexually attracted to someone, especially someone that you do not know very well: · All the girls fancy Bob.· I think Stevie fancies you.
if someone, especially a young person, has a crush on someone they have an uncontrollable feeling of love for them, especially when there is no chance of having a relationship with them: · It is quite normal for adolescents to have crushes on pop stars.· The only reason I went to church every Sunday was that I had a crush on the minister.
to have a strong and uncontrollable feeling of love for someone you do not know very well, which does not last for a long time: · Ever since she met Rod at a party she's been totally infatuated.be infatuated with: · Teenage girls sometimes become infatuated with their teachers.
to be so much in love with someone that you do not behave sensibly or think clearly: · She was too besotted to see what he was really like.be besotted with: · He was obviously besotted with Julia.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY She had a huge crush on her geography teacher. It’s just a schoolgirl crush.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
1[singular] a crowd of people pressed so close together that it is difficult for them to move: She had a huge crush on her geography teacher. It’s just a schoolgirl crush. (=extremely hard to bear)· Her loss came as a devastating blow to her father.
(=stop it from being successful)· The government foiled an armed coup by rebel soldiers.
(=a complete defeat, by a very large amount)· He quit as prime minister following a crushing defeat in regional elections.
(=broken into small pieces, for example to add to a drink)· Serve the cocktail with crushed ice.
(=end it by force)· Troops moved in to suppress the rebellion.
(=end it by force)· He added that any resistance would be crushed.
(=end it by force)· The Russians speedily crushed the revolt.
(=a win by a very large amount)· Australia won a crushing 139-run victory over the West Indies.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSNOUN· What had begun as a schoolgirl crush had grown into a profound and romantic desire to be Charles's bride.· For Mr Robins, Inge felt the beginnings of a schoolgirl crush and hated him when he did not take her side.
There’s always such a crush on the train in the mornings.2[countable] a strong feeling of romantic love for someone, especially one that a young person has for someone older who they do not know well: She had a huge crush on her geography teacher. It’s just a schoolgirl crush.3[countable] American English informal someone who you have a feeling of romantic love for, but who you do not know well: a first date with your crush- internationalization
- internationalize
- International Labour Organization
- internationally
- International Monetary Fund
- international relations
- International Space Station
- internecine
- internee
- Internet
- Internet banking
- Internet dating
- Internetese
- internist
- internment
- internship
- interpenetrate
- interpenetration
- interpersonal
- interplanetary
- interplay
- Interpol
- interpolate
- interpolation
- interpose