crush

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   To press something so hard that it breaks or loses its shape.

   She crushed the empty can with her foot.

2. 2
   verb

   To make someone feel very sad or defeated.

   He was crushed when they rejected his application.

3. 3
   noun

   A strong but usually short-lived romantic feeling for someone.

   She had a crush on her classmate all through high school.

4. 4
   noun

   A crowd of people pressed tightly together.

   We got separated in the crush at the entrance.

Common collocations

• crush ice Verb + noun

From Middle English cruschen (“to crush, smash, squeeze, squash”), from Old French croissir (“to crush”), from Late Latin *crusciō (“to crush”), from Frankish *krustijan (“to crush, squeeze, squash”), from Proto-Germanic *kreustaną (“to crush, grind, strike, smash”). Cognate with Middle Low German tôkrosten (“to crush, shatter”), Swedish krysta (“to squeeze”), Danish kryste (“to squash”), Icelandic kreista (“to squeeze, squash”), Faroese kroysta (“to squeeze”), Gothic 𐌺𐍂𐌹𐌿𐍃𐍄𐌰𐌽 (kriustan, “to gnash”). Akin also to Middle Dutch crosen (“to bruise, crush”), Middle Low German krossen, krö̂sen, tôk…

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