Forms: 5 crusch-en, -yn, crussh-yn, (crusse), 5–6 crusshe, 6 crousshe, 7 chrush, 6– crush. Cf. CROOSE v. [app. a. OF. croissir, croisir, sometimes cruis(s)ir, rarely crusir, croussir, to gnash (the teeth), to make a crashing or cracking noise, to crash, crack, smash, break; in Cotgr., 1611, ‘to cracke, or crash, or crackle, as wood thats readie to breake’; = Cat. croxir, Sp. cruxir, crujir to crackle, to rustle, It. † croscere, crosciare to crackle, crash, clatter; ‘also to squease, to crush, or squash’ (Florio); med.L. cruscire to crackle (Du Cange). The Romanic word is app. of Ger. origin: see Diez and Mackel, and cf. MHG. krosen, krösen to gnash with the teeth, make a crackling noise, bruise or crush with a crackling sound, crash, craunch, for which Hildebrand infers an OHG. chrosôn, chrosian.
The notion of noise present in the foreign words appears also in early uses of cruss, crussh, but is practically absent from later use, being now expressed by CRASH.]
† 1. To dash together with the sound of violent percussion, to clash, crash; to make the harsh grating noise of things forcibly smashed or pounded to fragments. Obs.
1398. Trevisa, Barth. De P. R., X. vii. (1495), 379. Cole quenchyd though it greue not wyth brennynge hym that trede theron it makyth crusshynge and grete noyse.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 4752. At yche cornell of þe castell was crusshyng of weppon. Ibid., 5852. Crakkyng of cristis, crusshyng of speires. Ibid., 7298. There was crie of ken men, crussing of wepyn.
2. trans. To compress with violence, so as to break, bruise, destroy, squeeze out of natural shape or condition: said of the effect of pressure whether acting with momentum or otherwise.
a. 1400[?]. Morte Arth., 1134. He [the geaunt] caughte hyme in armez, And enclosez hyme clenly, to cruschene hys rybbez.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 106. Crusshyn’ bonys, ocillo.
1526. Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W., 1531), 234 b. The worme yt is crusshed or poysoned.
1611. Bible, Job xxxix. 13–15. The Ostrich … leaueth her egges in the earth…, And forgetteth that the foot may crush them.
1665. Hooke, Microgr., 33. Some of these I broke … by crushing it [the stem] with a small pair of Plyers.
1715–20. Pope, Iliad, XII. 83. In one promiscuous carnage crush’d and bruis’d.
1840. F. D. Bennett, Whaling Voy., II. 357. The leaves, when crushed, emit a powerful smell of camphor.
1860. Tyndall, Glac., I. ii. 9. The shock which would crush a railway carriage.
absol. 1885. Mrs. H. Ward, trans. Amiel’s Jrnl. (1891), 18. The wish to crush, roused irresistibly by all that creeps.
b. With advrb. extension, defining the result.
1530. Palsgr., 502/2. He hath crousshed his legge with the fall all to peces.
1594. Shaks., Rich. III., V. iii. 111. That they may crush downe with a heauy fall, Th’ vsurping Helmets of our Aduersaries.
1628. Earle, Microcosm., Selfe-conceited Man (Arb.), 33. He is a bladder blown vp with wind, which the least flaw crushes to nothing.
1665. Sir T. Herbert, Trav. (1677), 50. Some … cast themselves in the way and are crusht to death.
1768. J. Byron, Narr. Patagonia (ed. 2), 212. We expected, every moment, the roof and walls of our prison to fall in upon us, and crush us to pieces.
1853. C. Kingsley, Hypatia, II. ix. 215. Philammon crushed the letter together in his hand.
Mod. Crushed flat under the feet of the crowd.
c. To crumple or put out of shape (cloth, a dress, etc.) by pressure or rough handling.
Mod. Her bonnet and dress were all crushed.
d. intr. To advance with crushing.
1876. Whittier, Lost Occasion, 24. Crushing as if with Talus’ flail Through Error’s logic-woven mail.
e. intr. (for refl.) To become violently compressed, squeezed out of shape, or otherwise injured, by outside pressure.
1755. Johnson, Crush, to be condensed.
1776. Withering, Brit. Plants (1796), IV. 282. Its texture tender, soon crushing and becoming watery when gathered.
1786. T. Jefferson, Writ. (1859), I. 553. Their rotten machine must crush under the trial.
1866. G. Macdonald, Ann. Q. Neighb., xxxix. (1878), 506. I heard the hailstones crush between my feet and the soft grass of the lawn.
† f. In imprecations. Obs.
1770. Foote, Lame Lover, I. Wks. 1799, II. 60. Crush me if ever I saw any thing half so handsome before!
3. To press or squeeze forcibly or violently. (The force, not the effect, being the prominent notion.) Also with advrb. extension, to crush against, into, out of, through, etc.
1592. Shaks., Ven. & Ad., 611. ‘Fie, fie,’ he says, ‘you crush me, let me go.’ Ibid. (1596), 1 Hen. IV., V. i. 13. To crush our old limbes in vngentle Steele.
1611. Bible, Num. xxii. 25. The asse … crusht [Coverd. thrust, Geneva dasht] Balaams foote against the wall.
1884. Sir N. Lindley, in Law Rep. 9 Probate Div. 205. The salving vessel … was crushed against the landing-stage … and was damaged.
Mod. Too many people were crushed into the carriage. The article was in type but has been crushed out by the pressure of political news.
b. intr. (for refl.) To advance or make one’s way by crushing or pressure.
1755. Johnson, Crush … to come in a close body.
1860. Sat. Rev., X. 444/1. The multitude which crushes round the Prince.
4. fig. a. To break down the strength or power of; to conquer beyond resistance, subdue or overcome completely.
1596. Spenser, State Irel., Wks. (Globe), 672/2. They use them … to oppress and crush some of their owne to stubburne free-holders.
1611. Bible, Lam. i. 15. He hath called an assembly against mee, to crush my yong men.
1781. Gibbon, Decl. & F., III. xlix. 86. His enemies were crushed by his valour.
1838. Thirlwall, Greece, V. 95. Such an opportunity of crushing or humbling Sparta.
1848. Mrs. Gaskell, Mary Barton, II. 267. He sank upon the seat, almost crushed with the knowledge of the consequences of his own action.
b. Of actions, feelings, etc.: To put down, subdue utterly, extinguish, stamp out.
1610. R. Niccols, Mirr. Mag., 573. And at my state with her proud hornes did push In hope my fame … to crush.
1697. Dampier, Voy. (1698), i. xiii. 371. These disorders might have been crusht.
1720. Gay, Poems (1745), I. 172. Crush’d is thy pride.
1853. C. Kingsley, Hypatia, II. ix. 215. She was to crush the voice of conscience and reason.
1867. Smiles, Huguenots Eng., i. (1880), 1. Wherever free inquiry showed itself, whether in religion or science, the Church endeavoured to crush it.
1875. Jowett, Plato (ed. 2), III. 160. The higher feelings of humanity are far too strong to be crushed out.
c. To oppress with harshness or rigor.
1611. Bible, Amos iv. 1. Yea kine of Bashan … which oppresse the poore, which crush the needy.
1665. Sir T. Herbert, Trav. (1677), 293. There the poor are crusht without a cause.
1846. Whittier, The Branded Hand, x. Woe to him who crushes the soul with chain and rod.
5. To bruise, bray, break down into small pieces; esp. applied to the comminution of ore, quartz, coke, sugar-cane, oil-seeds, etc., in various industrial processes.
1588. Greene, Pandosto, Ded. (1607), 2. Unicornes being glutted with brousing on rootes of Lycoras, sharpen their stomacks, with crushing bitter grasse.
1667. Milton, P. L., V. 345. For drink the grape She crushes.
1830. M. Donovan, Dom. Econ., I. 309. The apples had … been well crushed and pressed.
1839. Penny Cycl., XV. 245/1. The lumps of … ore … falling through between the rollers … are completely crushed into small fragments.
1873. C. Robinson, N. S. Wales, 18. Cane crushed at the large mills on the Clarence.
6. To force out by squeezing or pressing; to press or squeeze out. Also fig.
1602. Marston, Antonio’s Rev., V. i. I 2. And crush liues sap from out Pieros vaines.
1622. Bacon, Hen. VII., 139 (J.). The course hee tooke, to crush Treasure out of his Subiects Purses, by forfeitures vpon Penall-Lawes.
1634. Milton, Comus, 47. Bacchus, that first from out the purple grape Crushed the sweet poison of misused wine.
1690. Dryden, Don Sebastian, 13 (J.). I wanted weight of feeble Moors upon me, To crush my Soul out.
7. To crush a cup of wine, pot of ale, etc.: to drink, quaff, ‘discuss’ it: cf. CRACK v. 10.
1592. Greene, Def. Conny Catch., Wks. (Grosart), XI. 43. If euer I brought my Conny but to crush a potte of ale with mee.
1592. Shaks., Rom. & Jul., I. ii. 86. I pray come and crush a cup of wine.
1822. Scott, Nigel, v. You shall crush a cup of wine to the health of the Fathers of the city.
1845. [Emma Robinson], Whitehall, xxx. 206. They had crushed several pottles of wine.
