noun

squash

skwosh

noun

A racquet sport played in a walled court with a small rubber ball.

"They play squash together at the gym twice a week."

A vegetable of the gourd family, such as butternut or acorn squash.

"Roasted squash makes a great autumn side dish."

"She stuffed the acorn squash with rice and herbs."

British: a concentrated fruit drink diluted with water.

"The kids had orange squash with their lunch."

verb

To crush something into a flat or pulpy mass.

"He squashed the empty can before recycling it."

"Don't sit on the bag, you'll squash the sandwiches."

To suppress or put an end to something, such as a rumor or plan.

"The manager quickly squashed any talk of layoffs."

How to Use Squash

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishTo crush flat, the racquet sport, the vegetable, or (in British English) a diluted fruit drink.

UK vs US

The diluted fruit-drink sense of "squash" is mainly British; Americans would just call it a fruit drink or juice concentrate.

Common pairings

squash a rumor butternut squash play squash

squashed past tense, squashes plural, squash plural, squashes plural, squashes plural, squashes singular

Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.

Test yourself on “squash” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage →

Can you complete this real example?

They play _____ together at the gym twice a week.

From Old French esquacher, meaning "to crush," influenced by another Old French word meaning "to shatter."

press

crowd compress embrace press assemble

quash

press crowd compress embrace assemble