crushing Meaning, Definition & Usage

1. noun forceful prevention; putting down by power or authority
   stifling; quelling; suppression.
   
   • the suppression of heresy
   • the quelling of the rebellion
   • the stifling of all dissent
2. verb come down on or keep down by unjust use of one's authority
   crush; suppress; oppress.
   
   • The government oppresses political activists
3. verb to compress with violence, out of natural shape or condition
   crush; squelch; squeeze; squash; mash.
   
   • crush an aluminum can
   • squeeze a lemon
4. verb come out better in a competition, race, or conflict
   shell; beat; trounce; crush; beat out; vanquish.
   
   • Agassi beat Becker in the tennis championship
   • We beat the competition
   • Harvard defeated Yale in the last football game
5. verb break into small pieces
   crush.
   
   • The car crushed the toy
6. verb humiliate or depress completely
   crush; smash; demolish.
   
   • She was crushed by his refusal of her invitation
   • The death of her son smashed her
7. verb crush or bruise
   crush; jam.
   
   • jam a toe
8. verb make ineffective
   crush; break down.
   
   • Martin Luther King tried to break down racial discrimination
9. verb become injured, broken, or distorted by pressure
   crush.
   
   • The plastic bottle crushed against the wall
10. adjective satellite physically or spiritually devastating; often used in combination
    devastating.
    
    • a crushing blow
    • a crushing rejection
    • bone-crushing

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