verb / noun
squash
SKWAHSH/skwɑːʃ/
Squeezing or crowding into a smaller space.
The hand squashes the empty can flat.
Etymology
The shattering root connects squash with forceful crushing and squeezing. The source cautions that some senses may be partly or mainly imitative, so this ancestry may not fully account for every use.
In context
Security forces have opened fire on citizens, armoured vehicles have been rolling into major cities, and the military has been cutting off the internet again, as it tries to squash the protests.
More examples
- He squashed the empty carton flat.
- The berries were squashed at the bottom of the bag.
- It was a tight squash with all five of us in the back seat.
Forms
squash · squashes · squashed · squashing