squash 1
(skwŏsh, skwôsh)n.1. Any of various bushy or vining plants of the genus Cucurbita, having unisexual flowers and fleshy edible fruit with a thick rind when mature.
2. The fruit of any of these plants, eaten as a vegetable.
[From alteration of Narragansett askútasquash.]
squash 2
(skwŏsh, skwôsh)v. squashed, squash·ing, squash·es
v.tr.1. To beat, squeeze, or press into a pulp or a flattened mass; crush. See Synonyms at
crush.
2. To put down or suppress; quash: squash a revolt.
3. To silence or fluster, as with crushing words: squash a heckler.
v.intr.1. To become crushed, flattened, or pulpy, as by pressure or impact.
2. To move with a splashing or sucking sound, as when walking through boggy ground.
n.1. a. The act or sound of squashing.
b. Something that has been squashed.
2. A crushed or crowded mass: a squash of people.
3. Sports A game played on a four-walled court by two or four players who use long-handled rackets to hit a small rubber ball against the front wall, with play stopping if the ball bounces twice on the floor or does not reach the front wall after a stroke. Also called squash rackets.
4. Chiefly British A citrus-based soft drink.
adv. With a squashing sound.
[Middle English
squachen, from Old French
esquasser, from Vulgar Latin
*exquassāre : Latin
ex-,
intensive pref.; see
ex- + Latin
quassāre,
to shatter, frequentative of
quatere,
to shake; see
kwēt- in
Indo-European roots.]
squash′er n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Adj. | 1. | squashed - that has been violently compressed; "the squashed looking nakedness of the fledgling birds" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional.