/ skwɒʃ; NAmE skwɑːʃ; skwɔːʃ/ verb , noun
■ verb
1.
squash sth (against sth) to press sth so that it becomes soft, damaged or flat, or changes shape :
[ vn ]
The tomatoes at the bottom of the bag had been squashed.
He squashed his nose against the window.
[ vn - adj ]
Squash your cans flat before recycling.
2.
[+ adv. / prep. ] to push sb/sth or yourself into a space that is too small :
[ v ]
We all squashed into the back of the car.
[ vn ]
How many people are they going to try and squash into this bus?
She was squashed between the door and the table.
3.
[ vn ] to stop sth from continuing; to destroy sth because it is a problem for you
SYN quash :
to squash a plan / an idea / a revolt
If parents don't answer children's questions, their natural curiosity will be squashed.
The statement was an attempt to squash the rumours.
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PHRASAL VERBS
- squash up (against sb/sth) | squash sb/sth up (against sb/sth)
■ noun
1.
(also formal ˈsquash rackets ) [ U ] a game for two players, played in a court surrounded by four walls, using rackets and a small rubber ball :
a squash court
to play squash
2.
[ U , C ] ( BrE ) a drink made with fruit juice, sugar and water :
a glass of orange / lemon squash
Two orange squashes, please.
3.
[ C , U ] ( pl. squash BrE also squashes ) a type of vegetable that grows on the ground. Winter squash have hard skin and orange flesh. Summer squash have soft yellow or green skin and white flesh.
4.
[ sing. ] ( informal ) if sth is a squash , there is hardly enough room for everything or everyone to fit into a small space :
It's a real squash with six of us in the car.
For more information see the Cultural Guide
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WORD ORIGIN
noun senses 1 to 2 and noun sense 4 verb mid 16th cent. (as a verb): alteration of quash .
noun sense 3 mid 17th cent.: abbreviation of Narragansett asquutasquash . Narragansett is an extinct Algonquian language.