crushes

1. 1
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of crush.

   The press crushes the grapes until the juice runs free.

   A heavy boot crushes the dry leaves on the path.

   Note

   The form that follows he, she or it, and its meanings run from the literal to the colloquial. A press crushes grapes and a mill crushes stone to powder. Figuratively, a burden crushes a person. In casual speech it can also mean doing something impressively well, as in she crushes every interview. That last use is best kept out of formal writing.

2. 2
   noun

   Plural of crush.

   He laughed about his childhood crushes over dinner with old friends.

   Teenage crushes often fade as quickly as they appear.

   Note

   The -es here is the spelling English uses after a sibilant like sh, the same ending that turns wish into wishes. Only the countable uses pluralize naturally: crowds that press uncomfortably, crowd control barriers, or, in slang, gangs. Pressure itself usually stays singular, so you feel the crush, not the crushes. The same spelling also serves the present-tense verb, and the surrounding sentence tells them apart.

Showing meanings only. Show all 2