crush
English
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 𐌺𐍂𐌹𐌿𐍃𐍄𐌰𐌽 (kriustan, “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/
Audio (US) (file) Audio (AU) (file) - Rhymes: -ʌʃ
Noun
crush (plural crushes)
- A violent collision or compression; a crash; destruction; ruin.
- 1921, Alexis Thomson and Alexander Miles, Manual of Surgery
- The more highly the injured part is endowed with sensory nerves the more marked is the shock; a crush of the hand, for example, is attended with a more intense degree of shock than a correspondingly severe crush of the foot
- 1921, Alexis Thomson and Alexander Miles, Manual of Surgery
- Violent pressure, as of a moving crowd.
- A crowd that produces uncomfortable pressure.
- a crush at a reception
- A violent crowding.
- A crowd control barrier.
- An infatuation or affection for someone.
- I've had a huge crush on her since we met many years ago.
- 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.
- 2004, Chris Wallace, Character: Profiles in Presidential Courage
- A standing stock or cage with movable sides used to restrain livestock for safe handling.
- (dated) A party or festive function.
- 1890 Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray chapter 1
- Two months ago I went to a crush at Lady Brandon's.
- 1890 Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray chapter 1
- (Australia) The process of crushing cane to remove the raw sugar, or the season that this process takes place in.
Derived terms
Translations
violent collision or compression; crash; destruction; ruin
violent pressure, as of a crowd
violent crowding
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love or infatuation or its object (often short-lived or unrequited)
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standing stock or cage used to restrain livestock for safe handling
process of crushing cane, or its season
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.
Verb
crush (third-person singular simple present crushes, present participle crushing, simple past and past participle crushed)
- To press between two hard objects; to squeeze so as to alter the natural shape or integrity of it, or to force together into a mass.
- to crush grapes
- 1769, Benjamin Blayney, King James Bible : Leviticus 22:24
- Ye shall not offer unto the LORD that which is bruised, or crushed, or broken, or cut
- To reduce to fine particles by pounding or grinding
- Synonym: 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.
- (figuratively) To overwhelm by pressure or weight.
- After the corruption scandal, the opposition crushed the ruling party in the elections
- To oppress or grievously burden.
- To overcome completely; to subdue totally.
- The sultan's black guard crushed every resistance bloodily.
- 1814, Sir Walter Scott, Waverley
- the prospect of the Duke's speedily overtaking and crushing the rebels
- (intransitive) To be or become broken down or in, or pressed into a smaller compass, by external weight or force
- an eggshell crushes easily
- (intransitive) To feel infatuation or unrequited love.
- She's crushing on him.
- 2011, May'lon Miranda, Love Is Blind, →ISBN, page 58:
- ... I could just let loose and be myself no holding back you know we just where to young kids in love, lust, crushing whatever you wanted to call it but we where living it up having fun when we where together the rest of the world didn't exist ...
- 2013, Sarra Manning, Diary of a Crush: Kiss and Make Up, →ISBN:
- And the one subject that I get an A plus in every time, is the ancient art of crushing. I crush, therefore I am. I've decided to share the benefit of my wisdom and after months of hopelessly lusting after Dylan, I've REALISED that there are twelve degrees of crushing from the slightly embarrassing things most girls will do to catch the eye of the heir to their heart, to the verging on ridiculous stunts you pull when you're in the grip of a passion that renders you powerless.
- 2013, Shozan Jack Haubner, Zen Confidential: Confessions of a Wayward Monk, →ISBN, page 130:
- "I respect your wiring," he explained, "but I'm crushing on you. And when I crush, I crush hard.” He thought it would be better if we stopped seeing each other for a while.
Derived terms
- crush out
- crushed sugar
- crushed velvet
Translations
to press or bruise between two hard bodies
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to reduce to fine particles by pounding or grinding
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to overwhelm by pressure or weight
to oppress or burden grievously
to overcome completely
to be or become broken down or in
to feel unrequited love
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References
- crush in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
Portuguese
Pronunciation
- (Brazil) IPA(key): /ˈkɾɐʃ/, /ˈkɾɐ.ʃi/, /ˈkɹɐʃ/
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