squash

[ skwosh, skwawsh ]

/ skwɒʃ, skwɔʃ /

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See synonyms for: squash / squashed / squashing on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to press into a flat mass or pulp; crush: She squashed the flower under her heel.

to suppress or put down; quash.

to silence or disconcert (someone), as with a crushing retort or emotional or psychological pressure.

to press forcibly against or cram into a small space; squeeze.

verb (used without object)

to be pressed into a flat mass or pulp.

(of a soft, heavy body) to fall heavily.

to make one's way with a splashing sound; splash.

to be capable of being or likely to be squashed: Tomatoes squash easily.

to squeeze or crowd; crush.

noun

the act or sound of squashing.

the fact of squashing or of being squashed.

something squashed or crushed.

something soft and easily crushed.

Also called squash racquets. a game for two or four persons, similar to racquets but played on a smaller court and with a racket having a round head and a long handle.

Also called squash tennis. a game for two persons, resembling squash racquets except that the ball is larger and livelier and the racket is shaped like a tennis racket.

British. a beverage made from fruit juice and soda water: lemon squash.

OTHER WORDS FOR squash

2 quell, crush, repress.

See synonyms for squash on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of squash

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English squachen, squatche “destroy, smash,” from Old French esquacher, esquasser, from Vulgar Latin exquassāre. (unrecorded), equivalent to ex- intensive prefix + quassāre “to shake”; see ex-¹, quash

OTHER WORDS FROM squash

squasher, nounun·squashed, adjective

Words nearby squash

square with, square yard, squarish, s quark, squarrose, squash, squashable, squash-blossom, squash bug, squash ladder, squash vine borer

Other definitions for squash (2 of 2)

squash²

[ skwosh, skwawsh ]

/ skwɒʃ, skwɔʃ /

noun, plural squash·es, (especially collectively) squash.

the fruit of any of various vinelike, tendril-bearing plants belonging to the genus Curcurbita, of the gourd family, as C. moschata or C. pepo, used as a vegetable.

any of these plants.

Origin of squash

An Americanism dating back to 1635–45; from Narragansett (English spelling) askútasquash (plural)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use squash in a sentence

The two met last year when Riya, 19, took up squash during a gap year after graduating from Marshall High in Falls Church.
She’s been growing her hair for 17 years. On Thursday, she’ll cut it off for charity.|John Kelly|August 25, 2021|Washington Post
A favorite of chefs and home cooks alike, you may not have to look far to find edible squash blossoms.
7 edible flowers and how to use them|John Kennedy|July 20, 2021|Popular-Science
If folks think of squashes as vegetables, maybe they are vegetables.
The bizarre botany that makes corn a fruit, a grain, and also (kind of) a vegetable|empire|July 8, 2021|Popular-Science
Also called yellow zucchini, this squash is slightly sweeter that its green cousin.
How to use summer squash: a guide to this bountiful, versatile vegetable|Aaron Hutcherson|July 2, 2021|Washington Post

You’ll get a crunchy, crispy garnish for pasta enrobed in a thick, rich squash sauce.
Cut waste and boost flavor with skin-to-seed recipes that use the whole vegetable|Joe Yonan|April 23, 2021|Washington Post
The salmon is presented atop a mound of sautéed vegetables: mushrooms, peppers, squash, onions, leafy greens, and herbs.
Spaghetti for Breakfast?! Not So Crazy at This Idaho Farm Café|Jane & Michael Stern|August 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There is increasing evidence that Assad is working with ISIS to squash the Free Syrian Army.
America's Allies Are Funding ISIS|Josh Rogin|June 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Spaghetti squash also contains specific nutrients that help convert the tryptophan in other foods you eat into serotonin.
6 Healthy Foods to Fight the Flu, Beat Stress and More|DailyBurn|February 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Headache—Take the rinds of a couple of lemons and squash it into a paste.
Use These 15 Home Remedies Based On Ayurveda To Cure Menstrual Cramps, Hangovers, and Indigestion|Ari Meisel|January 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
All this testing is serving to squash creativity and the excitement of learning.
A Teach for America Alum On How Testing Is Hurting Our Kids|Jonathan Sheehan|October 9, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The Squash Maiden drew about her a rich green blanket, into which she had woven many flaunting gold trumpet-shaped flowers.
Stories the Iroquois Tell Their Children|Mabel Powers
Corn Plume looked down at the Squash Maiden sitting on her blanket at his feet.
Stories the Iroquois Tell Their Children|Mabel Powers
Ever after, corn and beans were planted in the same hill, and often a squash seed was added.
Stories the Iroquois Tell Their Children|Mabel Powers
I guess it must be squash, for he likes mam-ma's squash pies so much.
Pages for Laughing Eyes|Unknown
Squish, squash echoed the milk in the great cylinder, but never arose the sound they waited for.
Tess of the d'Urbervilles|Thomas Hardy

British Dictionary definitions for squash (1 of 2)

squash¹

/ (skwɒʃ) /

verb

to press or squeeze or be pressed or squeezed in or down so as to crush, distort, or pulp

(tr) to suppress or overcome

(tr) to humiliate or crush (a person), esp with a disconcerting retort

(intr) to make a sucking, splashing, or squelching sound

(often foll by in or into) to enter or insert in a confined space

noun

British a still drink made from fruit juice or fruit syrup diluted with water

a crush, esp of people in a confined space

something that is squashed

the act or sound of squashing or the state of being squashed

Also called: squash rackets, squash racquets a game for two or four players played in an enclosed court with a small rubber ball and light long-handled rackets. The ball may be hit against any of the walls but must hit the facing wall at a point above a horizontal lineSee also rackets

Also called: squash tennis a similar game played with larger rackets and a larger pneumatic ball

Derived forms of squash

squasher, noun

Word Origin for squash

C16: from Old French esquasser, from Vulgar Latin exquassāre (unattested), from Latin ex- 1 + quassāre to shatter

British Dictionary definitions for squash (2 of 2)

squash²

/ (skwɒʃ) /

noun plural squashes or squash US and Canadian

any of various marrow-like cucurbitaceous plants of the genus Cucurbita, esp C. pepo and C. moschata, the fruits of which have a hard rind surrounding edible flesh

the fruit of any of these plants, eaten as a vegetable

Word Origin for squash

C17: from Narraganset askutasquash, literally: green vegetable eaten green

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

squash

OTHER WORDS FOR squash

Origin of squash

OTHER WORDS FROM squash

Words nearby squash

Other definitions for squash (2 of 2)

Origin of squash

Words related to squash

How to use squash in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for squash (1 of 2)

Derived forms of squash

Word Origin for squash

British Dictionary definitions for squash (2 of 2)

Word Origin for squash