crush
crush — verb
1. to press or squeeze something with enough force to break, damage, or change its
to press or squeeze something with enough force to break, damage, or change its shape
Tamar crushed the garlic with the flat side of a knife before adding it to the pan.
collocation: crush garlic / crush ice
The falling tree crushed the roof of the parked car during the storm.
At the recycling plant, empty cans are crushed into flat cubes by a large machine.
passive: be crushed into [shape/material]
Be careful not to crush the strawberries when you pack them into the box.
The weight of the heavy books crushed the thin cardboard box into a flat pile.
- crush garlic
- crush ice
- crush a can
- crush bones
Grammar Patterns
crush + object
2. to press fabric, paper, or other soft material so that it develops unwanted fold
to press fabric, paper, or other soft material so that it develops unwanted folds or creases
Élise sat on her dress by accident and crushed the silk into deep creases.
collocation: crush fabric / crush cloth
Do not fold the posters or you will crush the paper and ruin the pictures.
The suit got crushed inside the suitcase during the flight from Taipei to London.
common with passive: get crushed [in/inside]
Hugo ironed his shirt again after it got crushed in his gym bag.
- crush a shirt
- crushed fabric
- crush paper
Grammar Patterns
crush + object (fabric/paper)
Usage Note
Commonly used with fabrics (silk, cotton, linen) and paper products.
Common Mistakes
3. to press or push people against each other in a space that is too small for comf
to press or push people against each other in a space that is too small for comfort
The fans were crushed against the stage barriers during the concert.
passive: be crushed against [something]
Morning commuters were crushed together inside the crowded train carriage.
The protesters were crushed into a narrow space behind the police barricades.
passive: be crushed into [small space]
Trang felt dizzy as the crowd pushed forward and crushed her against the wall.
- crushed against the wall
- crushed together
- crushed by the crowd
Grammar Patterns
be crushed against/by/in [crowd/space]
Usage Note
Frequently passive. The subject is typically a crowd, a space, or a physical obstacle.
4. to make someone feel extremely sad, disappointed, or emotionally defeated by a d
to make someone feel extremely sad, disappointed, or emotionally defeated by a difficult event or piece of news
Ravindra was crushed by the news that his scholarship application had been rejected.
passive: be crushed by [bad news]
The team felt completely crushed after losing the final match by a single point.
Zayd's confidence was crushed when his boss criticized his report in front of everyone.
collocation: crush confidence / crush morale
The grandmother was crushed to learn her grandson had moved abroad without saying goodbye.
pattern: be crushed to + infinitive
- crushed by the news
- crushed with disappointment
- feel crushed
- encourage
to give someone hope and confidence
Grammar Patterns
be crushed by [bad news/event]
be crushed to + infinitive
Usage Note
Often passive. Stronger than 'upset' — implies a lasting blow to one's spirit or hope.
Common Mistakes
5. to defeat an opponent, enemy, or opposing group completely and decisively
to defeat an opponent, enemy, or opposing group completely and decisively
The home team crushed their opponents by forty points in the basketball game.
collocation: crush an opponent / crush the competition
Government forces crushed the rebellion within three days of the uprising.
The large company crushed its smaller rival by slashing prices across the market.
Stephanie crushed every argument her opponent raised during the debate.
The dictator used the army to crush all opposition to his rule.
collocation: crush opposition / crush a revolt
- crush an opponent
- crush the rebellion
- crush the opposition
- crush a revolt
- overwhelm
focuses on the opponent being powerless rather than the final outcome
- annihilate
stronger, implying total destruction
- suppress
used specifically for putting down rebellions or protests
Grammar Patterns
crush + opponent/opposition
Usage Note
Stronger than 'beat' or 'defeat' — implies the opponent had no chance to recover.
6. to perform so impressively in a competition or contest that you clearly outperfo
to perform so impressively in a competition or contest that you clearly outperform other participants
Xiu crushed the national piano competition and earned a spot in the finals.
informal: crush a competition / crush an event
The young chef from Taipei crushed the cooking contest with her dessert.
Despite being the youngest runner, Beatriz crushed the marathon and finished in third place.
Aylin crushed every interview she had and received three job offers in one week.
collocation: crush an interview / crush a presentation
- crush a competition
- crush a presentation
- crush an interview
- crush it
Grammar Patterns
crush + noun (competition/exam)
crush it (informal)
Usage Note
Informal American English. Focuses on outperforming other participants in competitions or contests. Distinguish from sense 7 (ACE), which means achieving a perfect score on a personal task or test regardless of competitors. Often used with 'it' as a general exclamation of success: 'You crushed it!'
7. to achieve a perfect or near-perfect result on a specific task, test, or perform
to achieve a perfect or near-perfect result on a specific task, test, or performance goal
Lakshmi studied all weekend so she could crush the licensing examination.
informal: crush a test / crush an exam
The design team crushed the client presentation and walked away with a big contract.
Every singer on the show crushed their performance that night.
Rachid joined six months ago and is already crushing his sales targets.
collocation: crush targets / crush goals
- crush a test
- crush a performance
- crush targets
Grammar Patterns
crush + noun (test/task)
Usage Note
Informal American English. Distinguish from sense 6 (EXCEL): sense 6 means standing out against other competitors in a contest or competition (e.g. 'crush the competition'); this sense means achieving a perfect outcome on a personal task or goal, regardless of whether others are competing (e.g. 'crush a test'). Often used with 'it' as a general exclamation: 'You crushed it!'
8. to experience a strong but usually short-lived romantic attraction to someone, e
to experience a strong but usually short-lived romantic attraction to someone, especially someone you do not know well or are not in a relationship with
Eliska has been crushing on a boy in biology class for weeks but has not spoken to him yet.
pattern: crush on [someone]
Mark crushed on his best friend's sister all through high school but never told anyone.
Luca thinks his little sister is crushing on the boy next door.
Vinícius used to crush on a girl at his pool, but the feeling faded over time.
- crush on someone
- crushing on a boy/girl
- like
gentler; less intense and less temporary
- have a crush on
the more common noun-based construction
Grammar Patterns
crush on [someone]
Usage Note
Always used with the preposition 'on.' The object of the crush is the person being admired. Common among teenagers and young adults.
Common Mistakes
crush on
phrasal verbTo have a strong romantic attraction to someone, usually secretly or without acting on it.
Sara has a crush on her classmate, but she's too shy to tell him.
When I was twelve, I crushed on a boy in my math class.
crush it
idiomTo perform extremely well or achieve great success at something.
Maya studied all week and crushed it on the final exam.
Did you see Diego's presentation? He totally crushed it.
crush — noun
1. a strong but usually short-lived feeling of romantic attraction toward someone,
a strong but usually short-lived feeling of romantic attraction toward someone, especially someone you do not know well or are not in a relationship with
Sora has had a crush on her art teacher since the school year started.
pattern: have a crush on [someone]
My first crush was a boy in third grade who sat next to me.
collocation: first crush
Lien thought her crush on the new student would fade, but it only grew stronger.
Reema developed a crush on her older neighbor after he helped her with her math homework every week.
collocation: develop a crush / have a crush
Talia's crush on her coworker made things awkward when they shared a project.
- have a crush on
- first crush
- develop a crush
- childhood crush
- infatuation
more intense and irrational; can last longer than a crush
- puppy love
refers specifically to young people's first romantic feelings, seen as innocent
- fixation
suggests obsessive focus rather than romantic desire
Grammar Patterns
have a crush on [someone]
Usage Note
Usually temporary and characteristic of adolescence, but adults can have crushes too. Not the same as love — a crush is usually based on attraction or admiration rather than deep emotional connection.
Common Mistakes
2. the person who is the object of a romantic crush — someone toward whom you feel
the person who is the object of a romantic crush — someone toward whom you feel strong attraction but are not in a relationship with
Eve finally worked up the courage to ask her crush to the school dance.
collocation: my crush / someone's crush
Lisa has been texting her crush every night but is too shy to call him.
When Talia saw her old crush at the reunion, she realized the feelings were gone.
The boy did not even know that he was Sarah's secret crush.
collocation: secret crush
- my crush
- her crush
- childhood crush
- secret crush
Grammar Patterns
my/someone's crush
Usage Note
When 'crush' means a person, it always appears in a possessive construction (my crush, her crush, etc.).
3. a tightly packed crowd of people who are forced to stand very close together, us
a tightly packed crowd of people who are forced to stand very close together, usually in a confined space
There was a terrible crush of passengers trying to board the last train home.
collocation: a crush of [people]
The crush at the stadium exit was so bad that people could barely breathe.
Several people were injured in the crush outside the concert hall doors.
A young child got separated from her parents in the crush at the market.
collocation: in the crush
- a crush of people
- in the crush
- the crush at the exit
Grammar Patterns
a crush of [people/crowd]
Usage Note
Often describes a dangerous or uncomfortable situation where too many people are in one space.
Word family
- crushingadjectiveB2
- crushedadjectiveB2
- crushernounC1
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
While all these words describe a strong attraction, a 'crush' is specifically a short-lived romantic admiration toward someone, often someone you barely know. 'Infatuation' is more intense and irrational — it can blind you to a person's real flaws and may last months or years. 'Puppy love' is a lighter term for young people's first romantic feelings, seen as innocent and slightly immature. 'Fascination' is much broader — it can describe intellectual curiosity about an idea or hobby without any romantic desire. For example: teenagers might have 'crushes' on pop stars; a person deeply 'infatuated' with a coworker might misinterpret friendliness as romance; and a historian's 'fascination' with ancient Egypt has nothing to do with love.
Common collocations
Phrases
- crush it
- crush on someone
- have a crush on someone
Etymology
The word 'crush' entered English from Old French 'croissir' (to break, smash), which probably came from a Germanic root meaning 'to crack.' The physical sense of pressing and breaking has been in English since the 1300s. The romantic meaning emerged in American English in the late 1800s — it may have come from the phrase 'to have a crush,' originally meaning a crowded social event where young people could meet and develop romantic interests.