Crush vs. Crash — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on October 25, 2023
Crush is to compress with force causing damage, while Crash is a violent collision or breaking in pieces.
Difference Between Crush and Crash
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Crush implies a forceful compression that deforms the object or substance being crushed. On the other hand, Crash often signifies a loud noise or impact, especially when objects collide.
In romantic terms, a Crush denotes an intense but usually short-lived infatuation with someone. However, Crash in colloquial contexts can imply an abrupt end or failure, such as in a system or stock market crash.
When considering their physical aspects, Crush typically involves a direct force applied to a material or object, resulting in it being squashed or broken. In contrast, Crash encompasses situations where an object comes into forceful contact with another, often causing damage.
In technology, a system might Crash, meaning it abruptly stops working due to an error. In a different context, one might Crush a can, applying pressure until it deforms.
Another distinction can be found in auditory perception. A Crush might not always be associated with a significant noise unless it's on a larger scale. A Crash, by its very nature, usually involves a loud or jarring noise.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
Compression with force.
Violent collision or impact.
Sentimental Use
Temporary infatuation.
Sudden failure or decline.
Physical Nature
Direct force deforming an object.
Impact causing damage.
Sound Associated
May or may not produce noise.
Typically produces a loud noise.
Technological Use
Crushing data (compressing).
System failure (e.g., computer).
Compare with Definitions
Crush
To overpower or suppress.
The army crushed the rebellion.
Crash
Crash: An unwanted interruption in a system.
My computer had a crash and I lost my document.
Crush
A dense gathering of people.
There was a crush of fans at the concert entrance.
Crash
Crash: To attend without invitation.
He decided to crash the party.
Crush
To press between opposing bodies so as to break, compress, or injure
The falling rock crushed the car.
Crash
To break violently or noisily; smash
The dishes crashed to pieces on the floor.
Crush
To break, pound, or grind (stone or ore, for example) into small fragments or powder.
Crash
To undergo sudden damage or destruction on impact
The car crashed into a tree.
Crush
To put down with force; subdue
The regime crushed the rebellion.
Crash
To make a sudden loud noise
The cymbals crash at the end of each measure.
Crush
To overwhelm or oppress severely
Spirits that had been crushed by rejection and failure.
Crash
To move noisily or so as to cause damage
Went crashing through the woods.
Crush
To defeat overwhelmingly
Our team was crushed in the playoffs.
Crash
To undergo a sudden severe downturn, as a market or economy.
Crush
To crumple or rumple
Crushed the freshly ironed shirt.
Crash
(Computers) To stop functioning due to a crash.
Crush
To hug, especially with great force.
Crash
(Slang) To undergo a period of unpleasant feeling or depression as an aftereffect of drug-taking.
Crush
To hit or propel with great force
A swing of the bat that crushed a fastball over the wall.
Crash
To find temporary lodging or shelter, as for the night.
Crush
To press upon, shove, or crowd.
Crash
To fall asleep from exhaustion.
Crush
To extract or obtain by pressing or squeezing
Crush juice from a grape.
Crash
To cause to crash
Crashed the truck into the signpost.
Crush
To be or become crushed
Aluminum cans crush easily.
Crash
To dash to pieces; smash
Crashed the ice with a sledgehammer.
Crush
To proceed or move by crowding or pressing
The fans crushed forward to get a glimpse of the movie star.
Crash
(Informal) To join or enter (a party, for example) without invitation.
Crush
The act of crushing or the pressure involved in crushing
Matter superheated by the crush of gravity around black holes.
Crash
A sudden loud noise, as of an object breaking
She looked up when she heard the crash outside.
Crush
A great crowd
A crush of spectators.
Crash
A smashing to pieces.
Crush
A substance prepared by or as if by crushing, especially a fruit drink
Orange crush.
Crash
A collision, as between two automobiles.
Crush
A usually temporary infatuation
Had a crush on her friend's cousin.
Crash
A sudden severe downturn
A market crash.
A population crash.
Crush
One who is the object of such an infatuation.
Crash
A sudden failure of a hard drive caused by damaging contact between the head and the storage surface, often resulting in the loss of data on the drive.
Crush
A violent collision or compression; a crash; destruction; ruin.
Crash
A sudden failure of a program or operating system, usually without serious consequences.
Crush
Violent pressure, as of a moving crowd.
Crash
(Slang) Mental depression after drug-taking.
Crush
A violent crowding.
Crash
A coarse, light, unevenly woven fabric of cotton or linen, used for towels and curtains.
Crush
A crowd that produces uncomfortable pressure.
A crush at a reception
Crash
Starched reinforced fabric used to strengthen a book binding or the spine of a bound book.
Crush
(slang) A group or gang.
Crash
Of or characterized by an intensive effort to produce or accomplish
A crash course on income-tax preparation.
A crash diet.
Crush
A crowd control barrier.
Crash
A sudden, intense, loud sound, as made for example by cymbals.
The piece ended in a crescendo, building up to a crash of cymbals.
After the lightning came the crash of thunder.
Crush
A drink made by squeezing the juice out of fruit.
Crash
An automobile, airplane, or other vehicle accident.
She broke two bones in her body in a car crash.
Nobody survived the plane crash.
Crush
(informal) An infatuation with somebody one is not dating.
I've had a huge crush on her since we met many years ago.
Crash
(computing) A malfunction of computer software or hardware which causes it to shut down or become partially or totally inoperable.
My computer had a crash so I had to reboot it.
Crush
The human object of such infatuation or affection.
Crash
(finance) A sudden large decline of business or the prices of stocks (especially one that causes additional failures).
The stock market crash
Crush
A standing stock or cage with movable sides used to restrain livestock for safe handling.
Crash
(informal) A comedown from a drug.
Crush
(dated) A party or festive function.
Crash
(collective) A group of rhinoceroses.
Crush
(Australia) The process of crushing cane to remove the raw sugar, or the season when this process takes place.
Crash
(ecology) A sudden decline in any living form's population levels, often leading to extinction.
Crush
The situation where certain colors are so similar as to be hard to distinguish, either as a deliberate effect or as a limitation of a display.
Black crush; white crush
Crash
(textiles) A type of rough linen.
Crush
A paraphilia involving arousal from seeing things destroyed by crushing.
Crash
Quick, fast, intensive, impromptu.
Crash course
Crash diet
Crush
To press between two hard objects; to squeeze so as to alter the natural shape or integrity, or to force together into a mass.
To crush grapes
Crash
(intransitive) To collide with something destructively, fall or come down violently.
When the car crashed into a house, the driver was heavily injured.
Crush
To reduce to fine particles by pounding or grinding.
To crush quartz
Crash
(transitive) To severely damage or destroy something by causing it to collide with something else.
I'm sorry for crashing the bike into a wall. I'll pay for repairs.
Crush
(figurative) To overwhelm by pressure or weight.
After the corruption scandal, the opposition crushed the ruling party in the elections
Crash
To accelerate a project or a task or its schedule by devoting more resources to it.
Crush
To do impressively well at (sports events; performances; interviews; etc.).
They had a gig recently at Madison Square—totally crushed it!
Crash
To make or experience informal temporary living arrangements, especially overnight.
Hey dude, can I crash at your pad?
Crush
To oppress or grievously burden.
Crash
To give, as a favor.
Crush
To overcome completely; to subdue totally.
The sultan's black guard crushed every resistance bloodily.
Crash
To lie down for a long rest, sleep or nap, as from tiredness or exhaustion.
Crush
(intransitive) To be or become broken down or in, or pressed into a smaller volume or area, by external weight or force.
An eggshell crushes easily
Crash
To terminate extraordinarily.
If the system crashes again, we'll have it fixed in the computer shop.
Crush
To feel infatuation or unrequited love.
She's crushing on him.
Crash
To cause to terminate extraordinarily.
Double-clicking this icon crashes the desktop.
Crush
To give a compressed or foreshortened appearance to.
Crash
(intransitive) To experience a period of depression and/or lethargy after a period of euphoria, as after the euphoric effect of a psychotropic drug has dissipated.
Crush
To make certain colors so similar as to be hard to distinguish, either as a deliberate effect or as a limitation of a display.
My old TV set crushes the blacks when the brightness is lowered.
Crash
(transitive) To hit or strike with force
Crush
To press or bruise between two hard bodies; to squeeze, so as to destroy the natural shape or integrity of the parts, or to force together into a mass; as, to crush grapes.
Ye shall not offer unto the Lord that which is bruised, or crushed, or broken, or cut.
The ass . . . thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam's foot against the wall.
Crash
To take a sudden and severe turn for the worse; to rapidly deteriorate.
Crush
To reduce to fine particles by pounding or grinding; to comminute; as, to crush quartz.
Crash
To make a sudden loud noise.
Thunder crashed directly overhead.
Crush
To overwhelm by pressure or weight; to beat or force down, as by an incumbent weight.
To crush the pillars which the pile sustain.
Truth, crushed to earth, shall rise again.
Crash
To break in pieces violently; to dash together with noise and violence.
He shakt his head, and crasht his teeth for ire.
Crush
To oppress or burden grievously.
Thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed alway.
Crash
To make a loud, clattering sound, as of many things falling and breaking at once; to break in pieces with a harsh noise.
Roofs were blazing and walls crashing in every part of the city.
Crush
To overcome completely; to subdue totally.
Speedily overtaking and crushing the rebels.
Crash
To break with violence and noise; as, the chimney in falling crashed through the roof.
Crush
To subdue or overwhelm (a person) by argument or a cutting remark; to cause (a person) to feel chagrin or humiliation; to squelch.
Crash
A loud, sudden, confused sound, as of many things falling and breaking at once.
The wreck of matter and the crash of worlds.
Crush
To be or become broken down or in, or pressed into a smaller compass, by external weight or force; as, an eggshell crushes easily.
Crash
Ruin; failure; sudden breaking down, as of a business house or a commercial enterprise.
Crush
A violent collision or compression; a crash; destruction; ruin.
The wreck of matter, and the crush of worlds.
Crash
Coarse, heavy, narrow linen cloth, used esp. for towels.
Crush
Violent pressure, as of a crowd; a crowd which produced uncomfortable pressure; as, a crush at a reception.
Politics leave very little time for the bow window at White's in the day, or for the crush room of the opera at night.
Crash
A loud resonant repeating noise;
He could hear the clang of distant bells
Crush
Leather that has had its grain pattern accentuated
Crash
A serious accident (usually involving one or more vehicles);
They are still investigating the crash of the TWA plane
Crush
A dense crowd of people
Crash
A sudden large decline of business or the prices of stocks (especially one that causes additional failures)
Crush
Temporary love of an adolescent
Crash
The act of colliding with something;
His crash through the window
The fullback's smash into the defensive line
Crush
The act of crushing
Crash
(computer science) an event that causes a computer system to become inoperative;
The crash occurred during a thunderstorm and the system has been down ever since
Crush
Come down on or keep down by unjust use of one's authority;
The government oppresses political activists
Crash
Fall or come down violently;
The branch crashed down on my car
The plane crashed in the sea
Crush
To compress with violence, out of natural shape or condition;
Crush an aluminum can
Squeeze a lemon
Crash
Move with, or as if with, a crashing noise;
The car crashed through the glass door
Crush
Come out better in a competition, race, or conflict;
Agassi beat Becker in the tennis championship
We beat the competition
Harvard defeated Yale in the last football game
Crash
Undergo damage or destruction on impact;
The plane crashed into the ocean
The car crashed into the lamp post
Crush
Break into small pieces;
The car crushed the toy
Crash
Move violently as through a barrier;
The terrorists crashed the gate
Crush
Humiliate or depress completely;
She was crushed by his refusal of her invitation
The death of her son smashed her
Crash
Break violently or noisily; smash;
Crush
Crush or bruise;
Jam a toe
Crash
Occupy, usually uninvited;
My son's friends crashed our house last weekend
Crush
Make ineffective;
Martin Luther King tried to break down racial discrimination
Crash
Enter uninvited; informal;
Let's crash the party!
Crush
Become injured, broken, or distorted by pressure;
The plastic bottle crushed against the wall
Crash
Cause to crash;
The terrorists crashed the car into the gate of the palace
Crush
A forceful compression.
She used her hands to crush the can.
Crash
Hurl or thrust violently;
He dashed the plate against the wall
Waves were dashing against the rock
Crush
A brief but intense infatuation.
Jenny has a crush on her coworker, Mark.
Crash
Undergo a sudden and severe downturn;
The economy crashed
Will the stock market crash again?
Crush
To mash or pulverize.
I love to crush garlic for my pasta.
Crash
Stop operating;
My computer crashed last night
The system goes down at least once a week
Crash
Sleep in a convenient place;
You can crash here, though it's not very comfortable
Crash
Crash: A violent collision.
The cars had a head-on crash at the intersection.
Crash
Crash: A sudden failure or decline.
The stock market faced a severe crash.
Crash
Crash: A loud noise of objects colliding.
I heard a crash in the kitchen.
Common Curiosities
What's the opposite of "Crush"?
Expand or release.
How does a "Crush" sound?
It might not always produce a noise unless significant.
Can "Crash" be used in a social context?
Yes, like when someone attends an event uninvited.
Can "Crash" relate to technology?
Yes, like when a computer system stops working abruptly.
Is "Crash" always negative?
Typically, but context matters. E.g., "crash a party" can be fun.
Can you "Crush" a feeling?
Metaphorically, meaning to suppress or stifle it.
Is "Crush" ever used in technology?
Yes, for instance, data can be "crushed" or compressed.
What does "Crash" typically imply?
A violent collision or sudden impact.
What is the primary meaning of "Crush"?
It refers to forcefully compressing something.
Can "Crush" be used in a romantic context?
Yes, it denotes a brief but strong infatuation.
How does a "Crash" typically sound?
It often produces a loud, jarring noise.
Can you have a "Crush" on an idea?
Metaphorically, yes, indicating a strong liking or enthusiasm.
Can both "Crush" and "Crash" relate to emotions?
Yes. "Crush" can mean infatuation, while "Crash" can refer to a sudden emotional letdown.
What's the opposite of "Crash"?
Smooth operation or steady progression.
How might one use "Crash" in terms of sound?
Describing the noise of something breaking or colliding.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
