I. ˈkrəsh verb
( -ed/-ing/-es )
Etymology: Middle English crusshen, from Middle French cruisir, croissir, of Germanic origin; akin to Middle Low German krossen to crush, Old Swedish krusa, krosa to crush, krysta to gnash, Gothic kriustan and perhaps to Greek brychein to gnash, Lithuanian griūti to collapse
transitive verb
1. : to press between two hard bodies
crush grapes
: squeeze or force by pressure so as to damage or destroy the structure of : force together into a mass
crush clothes into a box
crush out a cigarette
crushed under the wheels of a truck
2. : to press or cause to press closely : embrace strongly : hug , squeeze
crushed her child to her breast
3. : to reduce to particles by pounding or grinding : comminute , bray
crush rock
4.
a. : to suppress or overwhelm as if by pressure or weight
truth, crushed to earth, shall rise again — W.C.Bryant
b. : to oppress or burden grievously
a crushing burden of debt
c. : to subdue completely : extinguish , stifle
the rebellion was crushed
poverty crushed his spirit
a crushing retort
5. : crowd , push
crushed into the elevator
6. archaic : to drink up : finish off
come and crush a cup of wine — Shakespeare
7.
a. : to subject (paper in process) to greater than usual roller pressure accidentally or deliberately
the mottled appearance of a crushed finish
b. : to flatten out the grain of (as leather) by ironing or pressing
8. also crushdress ˈ ̷ ̷ˌ ̷ ̷ : to form or dress (an abrasive wheel) by forcing to revolve against a hardened steel roll
intransitive verb
1. obsolete : crash
2. : to become crushed
an eggshell crushes easily
3. : to advance with or as if with crushing
several men crushed ruthlessly toward the door
Synonyms:
quell , extinguish , suppress , quench , quash : crush indicates the utter destruction of effectiveness by heavy ruthless pressure and force smashing resistance and strangling growth
the sternest of those iron proconsuls who were employed by the House of Austria to crush the lingering public spirit of Austria — T.B.Macaulay
to crush the individual by its demand for unwavering obedience, total loyalty, and absolute uniformity — Oscar Handlin
quell now indicates overwhelming completely and reducing to inactivity or passivity
the nation obeyed the call, rallied round the sovereign, and enabled him to quell the disaffected minority — T.B.Macaulay
police quelling the disturbance
peace depends on the existence of organized power to quell transgressors of the peace — Bruce Bliven b.1889
extinguish suggests a total ending as sudden, thorough, and decisive as putting out a fire with water
lives that were to be extinguished in Hitler's gas chambers — Isaac Deutscher
the Black Death itself had extinguished many painfully acquired patrimonies — Roy Lewis & Angus Maude
we must not let such embers of freedom as existed in Eastern Europe and the Balkans be extinguished in the hour of liberation — Vera M. Dean
suppress may suggest rendering ineffective or nonexistent by the power of governmental, legal or legalistic, or social pressure
to provide for calling forth the militia to execute the laws of the Union, suppress insurrections, and repel invasions — U.S. Constitution
President Lincoln authorized searches and arrests without warrants, caused newspapers to be suppressed, declared martial law even in regions where the regular courts were open — F.A.Ogg & P.O.Ray
suppressing gambling and prostitution
quench suggests a checking of force, impetus, effectiveness, or ardor by or as if by drenching, dampening, cooling, or slaking
his misfortunes never quenched his sprightly spirit — R.M.Lovett
the rising of the Speaker of the House quenches all voices and decides all quarrels — J.P.Martin
nothing could be farther from me than a desire to quench the imagination, on the contrary I would preserve it — George Santayana
quash indicates summary and decisive extinction or subduing
the poverty-stricken Hitler, whom the death of his mother deprived of a home and whose hope to study architecture had been quashed — G.N.Shuster
he foresaw that the dreadful woman … would quash his last chance of life — Charles Dickens
II. noun
( -es )
1. obsolete : clashing noise : crash
2. : the act of crushing : violent compression : destruction , ruin
the crush of worlds — Joseph Addison
3. : the amount of material crushed or prepared as if crushed (as for further treatment in a manufacturing process) ; specifically : the quantity of cottonseed crushed for the extraction of oil in a given period
4. obsolete : bruise
5.
a. : a violent crowding (as of people or animals) : a crowd that produces uncomfortable pressure
a crush in the subway
b. : a large reception or party
6. : an intense and usually passing attachment or infatuation
have a crush on someone
her schoolgirl crushes
also : the object of one's attachment
7. : a fenced passage narrow at one end that is used in Australia especially in handling cattle (as for branding or vaccination)
Synonyms: see crowd