squash — English Dictionary

Noun

1. A sport played in a walled court with a soft rubber ball and bats like tennis racquets.

   Usage

   • Uncountable

   Examples

   She plays squash every Saturday.

   More examples (1)

   Ivor had acquired more than a mile of fishing rights with the house; he was not at all a good fisherman, but one must do something; one generally, however, banged a ball with a squash-racket against a wall.

   The bat, as a racquet used to be called, is the chief tool of the squash tradesman.

2. A non-alcoholic drink made from a fruit-based concentrate diluted with water.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

   Synonyms

   cordial

   Examples

   Sure. I pour hot squash all over myself and we all have a good chuckle. Everyone except Muggins here.

   When I'm thirsty I drink squash; it tastes much nicer than plain water.

3. A place or a situation where people have limited space to move.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

   Examples

   It's a bit of a squash in this small room.

4. A preparation made by placing material on a slide (flat, rectangular piece of glass), covering it and applying pressure.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

   Synonyms

   smear

5. Something soft and easily crushed; especially, an unripe pod of peas.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Obsolete

6. Something unripe or soft.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Derogatory
   • Obsolete

7. A sudden fall of a heavy, soft body; also, a shock of soft bodies.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Obsolete

8. An extremely one-sided, usually short, match.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Slang
   • Uncountable

   Examples

   It was one of the most shocking WWE title matches ever witnessed, and effectively a 20-minute squash match as Brock Lesnar "conquered" his opponent.

Verb

1. To beat or press into pulp or a flat mass; to crush.

   Usage

   • Transitive

2. To compress or restrict (oneself) into a small space; to squeeze.

   Usage

   • Intransitive
   • Transitive

   Examples

   Somehow, she squashed all her books into her backpack, which was now too heavy to carry.

   We all managed to squash into Mum's tiny car.

3. To suppress; to force into submission.

   Usage

   • Transitive

   Examples

   A somewhat popular myth about the Whiskey Rebellion is that Washington personally led the troops into western Pennsylvania and squashed the rebellion.

Interjection

1. The sound of something relatively heavy splashing or squelching into water.

   Usage

   • Obsolete

   Examples

   More examples (1)

   […] rain, too, had lately fallen, and had decidedly not evaporated, since, at every step, I went squash! squash! up to the tops of my boots, and many times very extent, stretching to the eastward, […]

   […] to catch all the rain […]; my boots went squash, squash, as I turned on to the high road, […]

   More examples (1)

   1883, May 5 […] The words had only left his mouth when his feet slipped from under him, and with a dull, sickening thud, he went squash! into the water, waist-deep. We made our way to bed in a silence that was painful.

Noun

1. A plant and its fruit of any of a few species of the genus Cucurbita, or gourd kind. Cucurbita maxima, including hubbard squash, great winter squash, buttercup squash, and some varieties of pumpkins.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

2. A plant and its fruit of any of a few species of the genus Cucurbita, or gourd kind. Cucurbita argyrosperma (syn. Cucurbita mixta), cushaw squash.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

3. A plant and its fruit of any of a few species of the genus Cucurbita, or gourd kind. Cucurbita moschata, butternut squash, Barbary squash, China squash.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

4. A plant and its fruit of any of a few species of the genus Cucurbita, or gourd kind. Cucurbita pepo, most pumpkins, acorn squash, summer squash, zucchini.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

5. Any other similar-looking plant of other genera.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

6. Any other similar-looking plant of other genera. Lagenaria siceraria (syn. Cucurbita verrucosa), calabash, long-neck squash.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

7. The edible or decorative fruit of these plants, or this fruit prepared as a dish.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

   Examples

   We ate squash and green beans.

Noun

1. Muskrat.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Obsolete

   Examples

   The squash is a four-footed beast, bigger than a cat.

Noun

1. any of numerous annual trailing plants of the genus Cucurbita grown for their fleshy edible fruits

   Synonyms

   squash vine

   Broader terms

   vine

2. edible fruit of a squash plant; eaten as a vegetable

   Broader terms

   vegetableveggieveg

3. a game played in an enclosed court by two or four players who strike the ball with long-handled rackets

   Synonyms

   squash racquetssquash rackets

   Broader terms

   court game

Verb

1. to compress with violence, out of natural shape or condition

   Synonyms

   crushsquelchmashsqueeze

   Broader terms

   press

   Examples

   crush an aluminum can

   squeeze a lemon