crush

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/krʌʃ/
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Strong pressure that breaks or compresses, with extensions for overwhelming defeat, emotional devastation, standout success, romantic attraction, tight crowds, and a fruit soda brand.
Practice using crush in conversation until it feels natural

Examples

  • Use a spoon to crush the garlic into a paste.
  • The vending machine was out of Crush again.
  • The home team crushed its rival in the final.
  • Their new album is crushing the streaming charts.
  • The crush at the station made it hard to breathe.

Similar words

infatuation
desire
discourage
outperform
soft spot
jam
suppress
rout
demoralize
compress

Meanings

Press until damaged

verb
physical
neutral
To press something so hard that it breaks, loses its shape, becomes tightly packed, or is forced into a small space.

Usage

Use crush for strong pressure that damages, flattens, wrinkles, or packs something tightly.

Examples

  • The heavy crate crushed the flowers underneath it.
  • Use a spoon to crush the garlic into a paste.
  • The passengers were crushed against the doors of the train.
  • Her linen jacket was crushed in the suitcase.
  • The machine crushes old cars into compact blocks.
  • Several boxes got crushed during the move.

Common mistakes

The regular past form is missed, and the verb is sometimes used where a lighter action is meant.
IncorrectCorrect
The truck crush the box yesterday. The truck crushed the box yesterday.
Please crush the pillow before you sleep. Please fluff the pillow before you sleep.
She crushed the door open. She pushed the door open.
The cans were crush in the recycling bin. The cans were crushed in the recycling bin.

Similar words

squash
compress
flatten
smash
mash
grind
crumple
compact

Defeat completely

verb
conflict
neutral
To defeat, suppress, or stop a person, group, movement, or opponent with overwhelming force.

Usage

Use crush when the defeat is complete and often harsh, especially in politics, war, sport, or competition.

Examples

  • The government sent troops to crush the uprising.
  • The home team crushed its rival in the final.
  • New evidence crushed the defense argument.
  • The company tried to crush the strike before it spread.
  • She crushed every opponent in the tournament.
  • The scandal crushed his campaign within a week.

Common mistakes

The word is too strong for ordinary winning, and it is often paired with the wrong object.
IncorrectCorrect
Our team crushed by two points. Our team won by two points.
The army crushed to the rebellion. The army crushed the rebellion.
She crushed the meeting. She dominated the meeting.
The champion crush his opponent last night. The champion crushed his opponent last night.

Similar words

defeat
overwhelm
subdue
quash
suppress
rout
trounce
vanquish

Devastate emotionally

verb
emotion
neutral
To make someone feel deeply disappointed, shocked, humiliated, or unable to keep their confidence.

Usage

Use crush for emotional blows that feel heavy enough to break confidence or happiness.

Examples

  • The rejection crushed him more than he expected.
  • She felt crushed after losing the scholarship.
  • His confidence was crushed by months of criticism.
  • The news of the accident crushed the whole family.
  • A single cruel comment can crush a child’s enthusiasm.
  • They were crushed when the project was canceled.

Common mistakes

The passive form is common, and the verb is often confused with physical pressure.
IncorrectCorrect
She was crush by the criticism. She was crushed by the criticism.
The sad news crushed the vase. The sad news crushed her.
He crushed because he failed. He was crushed because he failed.
The compliment crushed his confidence. The insult crushed his confidence.

Similar words

devastate
demoralize
dishearten
discourage
shatter
humiliate
wound
upset

Do extremely well

verb
achievement
informal
To perform very successfully or impressively, especially in a task, event, market, or competition.

Usage

Use crush informally for standout success, especially in phrases like crush it.

Examples

  • You crushed that presentation.
  • The startup is crushing the market this year.
  • She walked onstage nervous, then absolutely crushed it.
  • Their new album is crushing the streaming charts.
  • He crushed the interview and got the job.
  • The team has been crushing every sales target.

Common mistakes

The informal sense needs a success context, and it can sound too casual in formal writing.
IncorrectCorrect
The lawyer crushed it in the legal affidavit. The lawyer performed exceptionally well in the legal affidavit.
Sales crushed last quarter. Sales were excellent last quarter.
She crush it on stage. She crushed it on stage.
The broken printer crushed it today. The broken printer caused problems today.

Similar words

excel
shine
dominate
succeed
ace
nail
outperform
thrive

Feel a romantic attraction

verb
romance
informal
To have a strong, often temporary romantic attraction to someone.

Usage

Use crush informally with on when describing attraction, as in crushing on someone.

Examples

  • I was crushing on my lab partner all semester.
  • She still crushes on celebrities from old movies.
  • He is crushing hard on someone from work.
  • They were both crushing on each other but too shy to say it.
  • My cousin started crushing on her best friend’s roommate.
  • Lots of fans are crushing on the lead singer.

Common mistakes

The preposition on is required in this verb use, and the noun pattern is different.
IncorrectCorrect
I crush her. I am crushing on her.
She is crushing with the new actor. She is crushing on the new actor.
He crushes on to his classmate. He crushes on his classmate.
They crush each other. They are crushing on each other.

Similar words

fancy
like
desire
adore
admire
fall for
be smitten with
be attracted to

Romantic infatuation or person

noun
romance
informal
A strong, usually temporary romantic attraction, or the person who inspires that feeling.

Usage

Use crush as a noun for the feeling itself or for the person someone likes romantically.

Examples

  • She had a crush on her neighbor for months.
  • His first crush was someone in his art class.
  • I finally talked to my crush after the concert.
  • The movie star became a teenage crush for millions.
  • It was only a passing crush, not love.
  • Her secret crush wrote back with a kind message.

Common mistakes

The usual preposition is on, and the noun is not the same as a committed relationship.
IncorrectCorrect
She has a crush for him. She has a crush on him.
My crush and I have been married for ten years. My spouse and I have been married for ten years.
He got a crush from his coworker. He has a crush on his coworker.
I broke my crush. I got over my crush.

Similar words

infatuation
attraction
fancy
admiration
desire
passion
soft spot
smitten feeling

Dense crowd

noun
crowds
neutral
A crowd packed so tightly that people are pressed together or movement becomes difficult.

Usage

Use crush for a crowd when the pressure and lack of space are the point.

Examples

  • We struggled through the crush outside the stadium.
  • A crush of shoppers filled the narrow aisle.
  • The crush at the station made it hard to breathe.
  • Security opened another gate to ease the crush.
  • There was a crush of reporters around the courthouse.
  • The hallway became a dangerous crush after the alarm.

Common mistakes

The word needs a crowd context and is not just another name for any group.
IncorrectCorrect
A crush of three friends met for lunch. A group of three friends met for lunch.
The crush were cheering loudly. The crush was cheering loudly.
We walked through a crush of empty seats. We walked through rows of empty seats.
The crush people blocked the exit. The crush of people blocked the exit.

Similar words

crowd
throng
press
mass
jam
congestion
huddle
mob

Fruit soda brand

noun
food
neutral
A brand of sweet carbonated soft drinks best known for orange soda and other fruit flavors.

Usage

Use Crush with a capital letter for the soft drink brand, especially in names like Orange Crush.

Examples

  • I grabbed a cold Crush from the cooler.
  • Orange Crush is the flavor most people recognize first.
  • The shop sells Crush in grape and strawberry flavors.
  • She packed two cans of Crush for the picnic.
  • A bottle of Crush sat beside the sandwich.
  • The vending machine was out of Crush again.

Common mistakes

The brand name is capitalized, and it should not be used as a generic word for all soda.
IncorrectCorrect
I bought an orange crush at the store. I bought an Orange Crush at the store.
Every cola is a Crush. Crush is a fruit-flavored soda brand.
She drank a Crush juice. She drank a Crush soda.
We ordered three crushes. We ordered three bottles of Crush.

Similar words

orange soda
fruit soda
soft drink
pop
soda
fizzy drink
carbonated drink

Usage

Use crush for forceful pressure first, then let context mark the figurative senses of defeat, emotion, success, romance, crowds, or the soda brand.

Common mistakes

Crushed is the regular past form, crushing on takes on, and Crush is capitalized for the soda brand.

Etymology

From Middle English crushen, from Old French cruissir or croissir, meaning to gnash, crack, or smash. The crowd noun developed later, and the romantic slang sense is recorded in American English from the late nineteenth century.

FAQ

What does crush mean as a verb?

Crush usually means to press something so hard that it is damaged, flattened, broken, or packed tightly.

Can crush mean defeat?

Yes. To crush an opponent, rebellion, or argument is to defeat or suppress it completely.

What does crush it mean?

Crush it is informal and means to do something extremely well or succeed impressively.

Is crushing on someone correct?

Yes. Crushing on someone is informal, mainly American English, for feeling a romantic attraction.

What is a crush as a noun?

A crush can be a temporary romantic attraction, or the person someone likes romantically.

Can crush refer to a crowd?

Yes. A crush can be a tightly packed crowd where people are pressed together.

Is Crush a soda?

Yes. Crush is a fruit-flavored soft drink brand, best known for Orange Crush.

What is the past tense of crush?

The past tense and past participle are crushed.

Where does crush come from?

It comes through Middle English and Old French from words meaning to crack, gnash, or smash.

Is I crush her correct for romance?

No. The informal romantic verb is crush on, as in I am crushing on her.

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