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Webster 1913 Edition

Crush

Crush

(krŭsh)
,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Crushed
(krŭsht)
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Crushing
.]
[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.
Dryden.
Truth,
crushed
to earth, shall rise again.
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.
To crush a cup
,
to drink.
[Obs.]
–
To crush out
.
(a)
To force out or separate by pressure, as juice from grapes.
(b)
To overcome or destroy completely; to suppress.

Crush

(krŭsh)
,
Verb.
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
.

Crush

,
Noun.
1.
A violent collision or compression; a crash; destruction; ruin.
The wreck of matter, and the
crush
of worlds.
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.
Macaulay.

Webster 1828 Edition

Crush

CRUSH

,
Verb.
T.
1.
To press and bruise between two hard bodies; to squeeze, so as to force a thing out of its natural shape; to bruise by pressure.
The ass--crushed Balaams foot against the wall. Numbers 22.
To crush grapes or apples, is to squeeze them till bruised and broken, so that the juice escapes. Hence, to crush out, is to force out by pressure.
2.
To press with violence; to force together into a mass.
3.
To overwhelm by pressure; to beat or force down, by an incumbent weight, with breaking or bruising; as, the man was crushed by the fall of a tree.
To crush the pillars which the pile sustain.
Who are crushed before the moth. Job 4.
4.
To overwhelm by power; to subdue; to conquer beyond resistance; as, to crush ones enemies; to crush a rebellion.
5.
To oppress grievously.
Thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed always. Deuteronomy 28.
6.
To bruise and break into fine particles by beating or grinding; to comminute.

CRUSH

,
Verb.
I.
To be pressed into a smaller compass by external weight or force.

CRUSH

,
Noun.
A violent collision, or rushing together, which breaks or bruises the bodies; or a fall that breaks or bruises into a confused mass; as the crush of a large tree, or of a building.
The wrecks of matter, and the crush of worlds.

Definition 2024

crush

crush

English

Noun

crush ‎(plural crushes)

  1. A violent collision or compression; a crash; destruction; ruin.
    • Addison
      the wreck of matter, and the crush of worlds
  2. Violent pressure, as of a moving crowd.
  3. Crowd which produces uncomfortable pressure.
    A crush at a reception.
  4. A violent crowding
  5. A crowd control barrier
  6. An infatuation or affection for.
  7. The human object of such infatuation or affection.
    • 2004, Chris Wallace, Character: Profiles in Presidential Courage
      It had taken nine years from the evening that Truman first showed up with a pie plate at her mother's door, but his dogged perseverance eventually won him the hand of his boyhood Sunday school crush.
  8. A standing stock or cage with movable sides used to restrain livestock for safe handling
  9. A party, festive function
  10. (Australia) The process of crushing cane to remove the raw sugar, or the season that this process takes place in.

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

crush ‎(third-person singular simple present crushes, present participle crushing, simple past and past participle crushed)

  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.
    to crush grapes
    Ye shall not offer unto the Lord that which is bruised, crushed, broken or cut. --Lev. xxii.
  2. To reduce to fine particles by pounding or grinding; to comminute.
    to crush quartz
    • 1912, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Tarzan of the Apes, Chapter 1
      With a wild scream he was upon her, tearing a great piece from her side with his mighty teeth, and striking her viciously upon her head and shoulders with a broken tree limb until her skull was crushed to a jelly.
  3. To overwhelm by pressure or weight; to beat or force down, as by an incumbent weight.
    After the corruption scandal, the opposition crushed the ruling party in the elections
  4. To oppress or burden grievously.
  5. To overcome completely; to subdue totally.
    The sultan's black guard crushed every resistance bloodily.
    • Sir Walter Scott
      speedily overtaking and crushing the rebels
  6. (intransitive) To be or become broken down or in, or pressed into a smaller compass, by external weight or force
    an eggshell crushes easily
  7. To feel infatuation with or unrequited love for.
    She's crushing on him.
  8. (sports) to defeat emphatically
    • 2011 November 11, Rory Houston, “Estonia 0-4 Republic of Ireland”, in RTE Sport:
      A stunning performance from the Republic of Ireland all but sealed progress to Euro 2012 as they crushed nine-man Estonia 4-0 in the first leg of the qualifying play-off tie in A Le Coq Arena in Tallinn.

Derived terms

Translations

References

  • crush in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913

Etymology

From Middle English cruschen ‎(“to crush, smash, squeeze, squash”), from Old French croissir ‎(“to crush”), from Late Latin *cruscio ‎(“to brush”), from Frankish *krostjan ‎(“to crush, squeeze, squash”). Akin to Gothic 𐌺𐍂𐌿𐌹𐍃𐍄𐌰𐌽 ‎(kruistan, “to gnash”), Old Swedish krusa ‎(“to crush”), Middle Low German krossen ‎(“to break”), Swedish krysta ‎(“to squeeze”), Danish kryste ‎(“to squash”), Icelandic kreista ‎(“to squeeze, squash”), Faroese kroysta ‎(“to squeeze”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /kɹʌʃ/
  • Rhymes: -ʌʃ

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