crush

crush¹ [krʌʃ] v [T]

[Date: 1300-1400; : Old French; Origin: cruisir]

1.) to press something so hard that it breaks or is damaged

▪ His leg was crushed in the accident.

▪ Two people were crushed to death in the rush to escape.

2.) to press something in order to break it into very small pieces or into a powder

▪ Crush two cloves of garlic.

3.) crush a rebellion/uprising/revolt etc

to use severe methods to stop people from fighting you or opposing you

= ↑put down

▪ The revolution was crushed within days.

4.) crush sb's hopes/enthusiasm/confidence etc

to make someone lose all hope, confidence etc

5.) to make someone feel extremely upset or shocked

▪ Sara was crushed by their insults.

crush on [crush on sb] phr v

to have a feeling of romantic love for someone, especially someone you do not know well

▪ a guy in my class that I'm crushing on

crush ²

crush² n

1.) [singular]

a crowd of people pressed so close together that it is difficult for them to move

▪ There's always such a crush on the train in the mornings.

2.)

a strong feeling of romantic love for someone, especially one that a young person has for someone older who they do not know well

→↑infatuation

▪ She had a huge crush on her geography teacher.

▪ It's just a schoolgirl crush .

3.) AmE informal someone who you have a feeling of romantic love for, but who you do not know well

▪ a first date with your crush