Filters
Filter synonyms by Letter
A B C D E F G H I J K L M O P Q R S T V W
Filter by Part of speech
verb
phrasal verb
phrase
Suggest
If you know synonyms for To crush, then you can share it or put your rating in listed similar words.
Suggest synonym
Menu
To crush Thesaurus
Photo search results for To crush
Image search results for To crush
Cite this Source
- APA
- MLA
- CMS
Synonyms for To crush. (2016). Retrieved 2023, April 14, from https://thesaurus.plus/synonyms/to_crush
Synonyms for To crush. N.p., 2016. Web. 14 Apr. 2023. <https://thesaurus.plus/synonyms/to_crush>.
Synonyms for To crush. 2016. Accessed April 14, 2023. https://thesaurus.plus/synonyms/to_crush.
The way Reverse Dictionary works is pretty simple. It simply looks through tonnes of dictionary definitions and grabs the ones that most closely match your search query. For example, if you type something like «longing for a time in the past», then the engine will return «nostalgia». The engine has indexed several million definitions so far, and at this stage it’s starting to give consistently good results (though it may return weird results sometimes). It acts a lot like a thesaurus except that it allows you to search with a definition, rather than a single word. So in a sense, this tool is a «search engine for words», or a sentence to word converter.
I made this tool after working on Related Words which is a very similar tool, except it uses a bunch of algorithms and multiple databases to find similar words to a search query. That project is closer to a thesaurus in the sense that it returns synonyms for a word (or short phrase) query, but it also returns many broadly related words that aren’t included in thesauri. So this project, Reverse Dictionary, is meant to go hand-in-hand with Related Words to act as a word-finding and brainstorming toolset. For those interested, I also developed Describing Words which helps you find adjectives and interesting descriptors for things (e.g. waves, sunsets, trees, etc.).
In case you didn’t notice, you can click on words in the search results and you’ll be presented with the definition of that word (if available). The definitions are sourced from the famous and open-source WordNet database, so a huge thanks to the many contributors for creating such an awesome free resource.
Special thanks to the contributors of the open-source code that was used in this project: Elastic Search, @HubSpot, WordNet, and @mongodb.
Please note that Reverse Dictionary uses third party scripts (such as Google Analytics and advertisements) which use cookies. To learn more, see the privacy policy.
1
as in to mash
to cause to become a pulpy mass
dark-colored grapes that will be crushed to make red wine
2
as in to quell
to put a stop to (something) by the use of force
the government is doing everything to crush the latest guerrilla uprising
3
as in to grind
to reduce to fine particles
crushed the baby’s medicine tablet and mixed it with applesauce
4
as in to overwhelm
to subject to incapacitating emotional or mental stress
the terrible news of her death simply crushed the entire family
5
as in to squeeze
to apply external pressure on so as to force out the juice or contents of
after crushing the grapes, let the skins soak in the juice in order to extract some color
6
as in to wedge
to fit (people or things) into a tight space
the desperate refugees were crushed into the back of the truck
7
as in to hug
to put one’s arms around and press tightly
she tearfully crushed the child to her breast
1
as in love
a strong but often short-lived liking for another person
fondly remembers the crush that she had on a boy one summer long ago
2
as in swarm
a great number of persons or creatures massed together
the huge crush in the store must have far exceeded safety limits
Synonym Chooser
How does the noun crush differ from other similar words?
Some common synonyms of crush are crowd, horde, mob, and throng. While all these words mean «an assembled multitude,» crush emphasizes the compactness of the group, the difficulty of individual movement, and the attendant discomfort.
When might crowd be a better fit than crush?
While the synonyms crowd and crush are close in meaning, crowd implies a close gathering and pressing together.
When is mob a more appropriate choice than crush?
The words mob and crush can be used in similar contexts, but mob implies a disorderly crowd with the potential for violence.
How do throng and horde relate to one another, in the sense of crush?
Both throng and horde suggest movement and pushing.
Thesaurus Entries Near crush
Cite this Entry
“Crush.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crush. Accessed 14 Apr. 2023.
Share
More from Merriam-Webster on crush
Subscribe to America’s largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Edit:
From your comments in another answer:
Your example sentence (which I moved into your question now):
«The speaker of the poem describes a person
that closely resembles my crush»
You could say:
«The speaker of the poem describes a person that closely resembles the person I am in love with«
In love
If you are in love with someone, you feel romantically or sexually
attracted to them, and they are very important to you. — Collins
—
Is there a formal word for «a crush»?
Crush is relatively modern and as you say informal idiom. For less informal phrases you might try:
My love
A person you have a profoundly tender, passionate affection for. A
person you have a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep
affection. A person you love. —Urban Dictionary.
E.g. «She is my love».
My heart
Something being so cute that their heart is melting. mostly used by
girls. — Urban Dictionary.
E.g. «She is my heart».
The object of my affection
B1. The cause of someone’s feelings: He’s the object of my affection. — Cambridge.
E.g. «She is the object of my affection».
The above is the most formal of the suggestions in this answer, and is more poetic, you wouldn’t really use it in every day speech.
The girl/boy that has my heart
In the above example heart is being used figuratively to mean your love, your desire, your attention.
e.g. :
So There’s Boy… He Kinda Has My Heart… What does this mean?
It pretty much means you’re in love with him, kinda like he has your heart, he’s in control of your heart, you gave your heart to him. — Yahoo Answers
e.g. «She has my heart»
- Top Definitions
- Synonyms
- Quiz
- Related Content
- Examples
- British
- Idioms And Phrases
This shows grade level based on the word’s complexity.
This shows grade level based on the word’s complexity.
verb (used with object)
to press or squeeze with a force that destroys or deforms.
to squeeze or pound into small fragments or particles, as ore, stone, etc.
to force out by pressing or squeezing; extract: to crush cottonseeds in order to produce oil.
to rumple; wrinkle; crease.
to smooth or flatten by pressure: to crush leather.
to hug or embrace forcibly or strongly: He crushed her in his arms.
to destroy, subdue, or suppress utterly: to crush a revolt.
to overwhelm with confusion, chagrin, or humiliation, as by argumentation or a slighting action or remark; squelch.
to oppress grievously.
Archaic. to finish drinking (wine, ale, etc.).
verb (used without object)
to become crushed.
to advance with crushing; press or crowd forcibly.
noun
the act of crushing; state of being crushed.
a great crowd: a crush of shoppers.
Informal.
- an intense but usually short-lived infatuation with someone.
- the object of such an infatuation: Who’s your latest crush?
Verb Phrases
crush on, Informal. to have an infatuation with; have a crush on: She’s been crushing on him for a year.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Which sentence is correct?
Idioms about crush
crush it, Informal. to do something very well and with enthusiasm.
Origin of crush
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English cruschen, crusshen, from Middle French croi(s)sir, cruisir “to gnash one’s teeth, make a crashing or cracking sound, crackle, rustle, smash,” Medieval Latin cruscīre “to crackle,” from Germanic; compare Gothic kriustan “to crunch, grind,” Old Swedish krusa, krosa “to crush,” krȳsta “to gnash (one’s teeth),” Middle Low German krossen “to crush”
synonym study for crush
OTHER WORDS FROM crush
crush·a·ble, adjectivecrush·a·bil·i·ty, nouncrush·a·bly, adverbcrusher, noun
un·crush·a·ble, adjectiveun·crushed, adjectivewell-crushed, adjective
Words nearby crush
crusade, crusader, Crusades, crusado, cruse, crush, crush bar, crush barrier, crushed velvet, crushproof, crush-resistant
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Words related to crush
horde, multitude, throng, passion, break, crumble, mash, squash, squeeze, trample, annihilate, beat, defeat, demolish, kill, overcome, overpower, overwhelm, quell, ruin
How to use crush in a sentence
-
As made famous on the big screen in High Fidelity, mixtapes were the perfect way to woo your crush, or just impress your friends with how many obscure bands you’d heard of.
-
Facebook is, in particular, notorious for its attempts to copy and crush rivals, like Snapchat and now TikTok.
-
How to make a fortune tellerThis craft is one of the more difficult on this list, but we’ve placed it high up because of how common a tool it was for trying to find out if your crush liked you back, or if you were going to pass the next test.
-
The benefit, according to Rayl, is by everyone taking the same day off, there’s no pent-up crush of workload when people return—because no one else was assigning work while they were out either.
-
If you’re a little boy who has a crush on fox Robin Hood, maybe that leads you to accept yourself sooner.
-
Why would “they” want to crush him just for attempting to buy something twenty years ago?
-
His high school prom was around the corner, and he had been hanging out with a boy that he had a crush on.
-
Tank Battle Jeep Guard Crush — some editorial changes and the removal of all blood when the guards are crushed by the tank.
-
We have a specific idea to attach to THE INTERVIEW that will crush.
-
The main article called Reflections on the Final Crusade outlines in prophetic terms just how ISIS will crush Christianity.
-
Her feet crush creeping things: there is a busy ant or blazoned beetle, with its back broken, writhing in the dust, unseen.
-
The Emperor found he had no longer any reason to fear him, and for the moment determined to crush him completely.
-
There, in the crush, he unceremoniously lost her, and sped like a maniac to the entrance gates.
-
You have heard of my misfortunes, and you take a mean advantage of your knowledge to crush and kill me.
-
The Emperor staked his last card, and ordered the Guard to make one last effort to crush the English infantry.
British Dictionary definitions for crush (1 of 2)
verb (mainly tr)
to press, mash, or squeeze so as to injure, break, crease, etc
to break or grind (rock, ore, etc) into small particles
to put down or subdue, esp by forceto crush a rebellion
to extract (juice, water, etc) by pressingto crush the juice from a lemon
to oppress harshly
to hug or clasp tightlyhe crushed her to him
to defeat or humiliate utterly, as in argument or by a cruel remark
(intr) to crowd; throng
(intr) to become injured, broken, or distorted by pressure
noun
a dense crowd, esp at a social occasion
the act of crushing; pressure
a drink or pulp prepared by or as if by crushing fruitorange crush
informal
- an infatuationshe had a crush on him
- the person with whom one is infatuated
Derived forms of crush
crushable, adjectivecrushability, nouncrusher, noun
Word Origin for crush
C14: from Old French croissir, of Germanic origin; compare Gothic kriustan to gnash; see crunch
British Dictionary definitions for crush (2 of 2)
noun
vet science a construction designed to confine and limit the movement of an animal, esp a large or dangerous animal, for examination or to perform a procedure on it
Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with crush
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.