squash
1 Americanverb (used with object)
-
squashes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
squashed,
past participle, past
-
squashing
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
squashes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
squashed,
past participle, past
-
squashing
present participle
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.
noun
-
squashes,
plural
-
squash
plural
-
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.
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
-
to enter or insert in a confined space
noun
-
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 line See also rackets
-
Also called: squash tennis. a similar game played with larger rackets and a larger pneumatic ball
noun
-
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
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
squashsimple
-
squashessimple
-
have squashedperfect
-
has squashedperfect
-
am squashingprogressive
-
are squashingprogressive
-
is squashingprogressive
-
have been squashingperfect progressive
-
has been squashingperfect progressive
Past
-
squashedsimple
-
had squashedperfect
-
was squashingprogressive
-
were squashingprogressive
-
had been squashingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of squash1
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
Origin of squash2
An Americanism dating back to 1635–45; from Narragansett ( English spelling) askútasquash (plural)
Explanation
A squash is the edible fruit of squash plant, but it's considered a vegetable in the kitchen, like peppers and tomatoes. As a verb, squash means to compress or mash — like the way your picky little sister might squash the roasted squash on her plate with a fork. Squash that grows on a vine comes from the Native American Narragansett word askutasquash, "the things that can be eaten raw." The game called squash has nothing to do with this plant or its delicious fruit. This racket sport's name comes from the fact that players hit the soft rubber ball so hard that they squash it.
Vocabulary lists containing squash
Mardi Gras: Food
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Lesson 1
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
New Kid
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
These repeated half-term breaks and the long summer vacation mean French teachers have to squash their curriculum into 162 days per year, compared to 225 days in Germany for example, according to the OECD.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
For their first course guests enjoyed yellow squash, wild mushrooms and crispy pancetta.
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026
My boss believes me but also said me and Mary need to squash our beef, but I didn’t even know we had a beef.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 29, 2026
For me, that has meant chicken with scallions and frozen ginger cubes; shaved corn with poblano and onion; butternut squash with thyme and shallots; grated tomato with basil and garlic.
From Salon ● Aug. 25, 2026
We talk about the birds and fish we roasted on Nevis, and I tell him again about the mounds of peas, squash, and venison at the Werowocomoco feast.
From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone
Drinks high in sugar can include fizzy sodas, energy drinks, sweetened juices, squashes, sweetened tea and coffee, and flavored milks.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 18, 2026
“If this thing falls on me and kills me, it’s gonna be like, ‘Giant-squash squashes squash-professor,’” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 10, 2025
“Time bends. Space is boundless. It squashes a man’s ego. I feel lonely.”
From New York Times ● May 15, 2024
Root vegetables — like carrots, onions, potatoes and beets — winter squashes, cruciferous vegetables and greens are just a few notable cold-weather favorites.
From Salon ● Feb. 23, 2024
Closely related species replace each other geographically among the amaranths, beans, chenopods, chili peppers, cottons, squashes, and tobaccos.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
The factory that AFP visited in Hunan province's Pingjiang turns out nearly 700 tonnes per day of the spongy, red-coloured strips, which look like squashed French fries covered in oil.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
Nestere Yehdego, 31, his wife and their two daughters aged four and one are squashed together in a one-bedroom flat in Slough.
From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2026
Desai said, as seeming moments of recovery in the past year or so were squashed by the L.A. wildfires, then last summer’s immigration crackdown and associated civil unrest.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 29, 2026
But those that are further along are already tracking token use—scouting whose AI strategies should be amplified and what wastefulness should be squashed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 22, 2026
Charlie and Bessie were doing somersaults, whileJoey squashed tomato worms as fast as Flo and Fred could pick them off the vines.
From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney
In other words, instead of squashing creativity, AI is inspiring it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
As the aircraft plummeted, Kitchen said her husband fell on top of her, squashing her into the armrest.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
Concerns about AI squashing software company earnings turning into a run on private-credit funds lending to software firms.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 12, 2026
Jacob Ulibarri spent about six hours on New Year’s Day last year squashing hot spots where the Lachman fire had burned.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 11, 2026
Her own rule dropped in on her thoughts like a brick, squashing her fantasies.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
