crush verb - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes | Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com

Definition of crush verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

crush

verb
 
/krʌʃ/
 
/krʌʃ/
Verb Forms
present simple I / you / we / they crush
 
/krʌʃ/
 
/krʌʃ/
he / she / it crushes
 
/ˈkrʌʃɪz/
 
/ˈkrʌʃɪz/
past simple crushed
 
/krʌʃt/
 
/krʌʃt/
past participle crushed
 
/krʌʃt/
 
/krʌʃt/
-ing form crushing
 
/ˈkrʌʃɪŋ/
 
/ˈkrʌʃɪŋ/
Idioms Phrasal Verbs
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  1. [transitive] crush something/somebody to press something so hard that it is damaged or loses its shape; to press somebody so hard that they are injured
    • The car was completely crushed under the truck.
    • Several people were crushed to death in the accident.
    Extra Examples
    • His hand was badly crushed in the accident.
    • He was crushed beneath a bus.
    • She was crushed between two cars.
    • insects that had been crushed underfoot
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • slightly
    • almost
    • nearly
    preposition
    • against
    • beneath
    • under
    phrases
    • be crushed
    • get crushed
    • crush somebody to death
    See full entry
  2. [transitive] crush something to break something into small pieces or into a powder by pressing hard
    • Add two cloves of crushed garlic.
    • They crush the olives with a heavy wooden press.
    • Crush the biscuits finely before adding them to the mixture.
  3. [transitive] crush somebody/something + adv./prep. to push or press somebody/something into a small space
    • Over twenty prisoners were crushed into a small dark cell.
    • She was crushed against the wall.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • slightly
    • almost
    • nearly
    preposition
    • against
    • beneath
    • under
    phrases
    • be crushed
    • get crushed
    • crush somebody to death
    See full entry
  4. [transitive, intransitive] crush (something) to make something full of folds or lines; to become full of folds or lines
    • She crushed the scrap of paper in her hand.
    • The crisp paper crushed like eggshells in his fingers.
  5. [transitive] crush somebody to use violent methods to defeat people who are opposing you synonym put down, quash
    • The army was sent in to crush the rebellion.
    Extra Examples
    • Attempts to crush serious popular unrest led to civil war.
    • The government succeeded in crushing the military rising.
  6. crush somebody to destroy somebody’s confidence or happiness
    • She felt completely crushed by the teacher's criticism.
    Extra Examples
    • He always has this fantastic energy. Nothing can crush him.
    • Their new self-confidence could not be crushed.
  7. Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French cruissir, ‘gnash (teeth) or crack’, of unknown origin.
Idioms
crush it
  1. (informal) to do something very well or be very successful synonym smash it
    • She got up on stage and absolutely crushed it—the audience was going wild!
    • His latest film is crushing it at the box office.
See crush in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee crush in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
obviously
adverb
 
 
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