crushes 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of crush
1
as in mashes
to cause to become a pulpy mass dark-colored grapes that will be crushed to make red wine

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2
as in suppresses
to put a stop to (something) by the use of force the government is doing everything to crush the latest guerrilla uprising

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in grinds
to reduce to fine particles crushed the baby's medicine tablet and mixed it with applesauce

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4
as in overwhelms
to subject to incapacitating emotional or mental stress the terrible news of her death simply crushed the entire family

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5
as in squeezes
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

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6
as in stuffs
to fit (people or things) into a tight space the desperate refugees were crushed into the back of the truck

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7
as in hugs
to put one's arms around and press tightly she tearfully crushed the child to her breast

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crushes

2 of 2

noun

plural of crush
1
as in passions
a strong but often short-lived liking for another person fondly remembers the crush that she had on a boy one summer long ago

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2
as in swarms
a great number of persons or creatures massed together the huge crush in the store must have far exceeded safety limits

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of crushes
Verb
And The Studio creator claims the film is not only better than Obsession, but that Barker crushes his major feature film on-camera debut. — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2026 Detailed in the script, Carrie crushes the spewing water pipes with her mind, but the folks manning the on-and-off switches aren’t yet in sync. — Entertainment Weekly, 15 Sep. 2026 An Amazon Prime Air Boeing 767 crashes off the runway and crushes a vehicle west of Miami International Airport in Miami onSept. — Matthew Ablon, CBS News, 6 Sep. 2026 Katie Ledecky crushes the world record in the 1,500 freestyle for her second gold medal at the world swimming championships in Barcelona, Spain. — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2026 While this motion typically crushes or warps regular sneakers, these shoes bounce right back into their original shape, damage-free. — Sian Babish, PEOPLE, 18 July 2026 As a symbol for the movie’s complex duality, Damon crushes his role. — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 15 July 2026 Every minute that a kid sits bored in a classroom crushes their desire. — David Brooks, The Atlantic, 28 June 2026 This mandate creates an environment that crushes most of the students it is intended to develop. — Scott White, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026
Noun
Kim was a relatively normal teenager who, while cramming for tests and navigating crushes, also had to save the world from any villain who wished to do harm. — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Sep. 2026 Nobody seems to work much, though, the employees are consumed by gossip, crushes, and confusion about their coworkers, superiors, and others who lurk in their building. — James Folta, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026 Her arrival stirs enough secrets, crushes, and shifting loyalties to fill an eight-episode TV show. — Rhoda Feng, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2026 The story takes on first crushes, school pressures, friendship conflicts, parental separation and loneliness. — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 27 Aug. 2026 Jenna Bush Hager and Sheinelle Jones took a trip down memory line while revealing their celebrity crushes on the Today show. — Lara Walsh, InStyle, 25 Aug. 2026 And with Molly Ringwald as his muse, Hughes’s directorial debut established his gift for frank and empathetic tales of adolescent crushes and high school social hierarchies. — Al Shipley, SPIN, 4 Aug. 2026 While Fritz was enjoying the perks of his apparent single life, golfing with influencers Nick Nayersina, David Dobrik, and Josh Richards for content that ended up on YouTube a couple of weeks ago, the topic of celebrity crushes came up. — Sean Joseph Outkick, FOXNews.com, 2 Aug. 2026 Life’s biggest challenges were saving up for a treehouse, holding seances in a cemetery, navigating first crushes and hard family situations, and, of course, simply growing up. — Sarah Scott, Parents, 14 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crushes
  1. mashes
  2. suppresses
  3. grinds
  4. overwhelms
  5. squeezes
  6. stuffs
  7. hugs
  8. passions
Verb
  • This time round, Horvat is on to something even more deliciously odd with a study that mashes together grief, matrimonial disharmony, the alien nature of mathematical minds, and desire’s wild pursuit of obscure objects.
    — Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Starling Marte mashes one The hometown fans, who appeared to be outnumbered among the 24,225 at The K, had something to cheer in the fourth inning.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of mashes
Verb
  • In recent years, the unit has been the target of public scrutiny for their aggressive response and policing of demonstrations, with some critics saying the unit suppresses people’s right to free speech.
    — Gloria Pazmino, CNN Money, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Once growth begins there, the process also suppresses additional crystals from forming nearby.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of suppresses
Verb
  • For anyone who grinds fresh every morning and chases single-origin lots, online talk about mold and mycotoxins in coffee tends to raise a practical question about how the stuff gets onto beans in the first place.
    — Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The annual College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), the country’s most important academic event, grinds the nation to almost a halt to ensure the smooth administration of the exam.
    — Lim Hui Jie,Miko Jang, CNBC, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of grinds
Verb
  • In 90 percent of instances, if a team overwhelms another in the trenches on both sides of the ball, that team wins the game handily.
    — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Revenue that overwhelms delivery teams, adds friction for customers or depends on heroic effort is not the same as scalable growth.
    — Tim Dowd, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of overwhelms
Verb
  • But as the Iran war squeezes Republicans ahead of the midterms, Democrats are aligning to call for the defense secretary’s ouster or resignation.
    — Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 9 Oct. 2026
  • That wrestling match itself, however, makes for compelling theater about as often as the camel squeezes through the needle.
    — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of squeezes
Verb
  • The suspect runs inside, grabs rolls of lottery tickets, stuffs them into a bag and runs out.
    — Tara Lynch, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Once a seasonal delicacy, Jimmy’s sources squash blossoms ($25) year-round, stuffs them with ricotta and Parmigiano-Reggiano and lightly batters and fries them.
    — Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of stuffs
Verb
  • Some spots could see major flooding depending on exactly how close the storm hugs the coast.
    — Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026
  • With a silhouette that hugs your thighs before lightly flaring at the ankles, this pants fit offers warmth, modesty, and elegance.
    — Bianca Kratky, Glamour, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of hugs
Noun
  • Their passions and delusions strengthen through their symbiosis.
    — Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Driving isn’t advisable either, nor is one of his other passions, riding a motorcycle, Joel told the Hollywood Reporter in an article that came out Thursday.
    — Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of passions

Browse Nearby Words

crushers
crushes
crushing
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Cite this Entry

“Crushes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crushes. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

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