1
2
as in suppressing
to put a stop to (something) by the use of force
squashed any effort to reform the country's power structure
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of squashing
Despite squashing his beef with his former crew, Bam Margera will not be back for new stunts, but there will be archival footage of him and Ryan Dunn.
—
Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 27 Apr. 2026
Here’s to the people who strive and persevere and realize their dreams, without squashing the dignity of others.
—Donna Vickroy, Chicago Tribune, 15 Apr. 2026
The decision marked the first time in tournament history that the final weeks of the college basketball season would not be played, squashing Atlanta’s plans to host the Final Four.
—Shari Rudavsky, IndyStar, 27 Mar. 2026
The single marked the first collaboration between the two rappers, effectively squashing rumors of their feud.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 20 Mar. 2026
Jacob Ulibarri spent about six hours on New Year’s Day last year squashing hot spots where the Lachman fire had burned.
—Alene Tchekmedyian, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2026
TDEs generally occur when stars venture too close to the supermassive black holes that sit at the heart of large galaxies, resulting in the immense gravity of these cosmic titans simultaneously squashing the stellar body horizontally while stretching it vertically.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 18 Feb. 2026
He was immediately taken aback to learn that the process required first squashing the breast flat.
—Erik German, Fortune, 15 Feb. 2026
Jaffe, who has studied 100-year-old families, said most families find compromises between letting the next generation take the reins and squashing their individuality.
—Hayley Cuccinello, CNBC, 11 Dec. 2025
Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 27 Apr. 2026
Here’s to the people who strive and persevere and realize their dreams, without squashing the dignity of others.
—Donna Vickroy, Chicago Tribune, 15 Apr. 2026
The decision marked the first time in tournament history that the final weeks of the college basketball season would not be played, squashing Atlanta’s plans to host the Final Four.
—Shari Rudavsky, IndyStar, 27 Mar. 2026
The single marked the first collaboration between the two rappers, effectively squashing rumors of their feud.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 20 Mar. 2026
Jacob Ulibarri spent about six hours on New Year’s Day last year squashing hot spots where the Lachman fire had burned.
—Alene Tchekmedyian, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2026
TDEs generally occur when stars venture too close to the supermassive black holes that sit at the heart of large galaxies, resulting in the immense gravity of these cosmic titans simultaneously squashing the stellar body horizontally while stretching it vertically.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 18 Feb. 2026
He was immediately taken aback to learn that the process required first squashing the breast flat.
—Erik German, Fortune, 15 Feb. 2026
Jaffe, who has studied 100-year-old families, said most families find compromises between letting the next generation take the reins and squashing their individuality.
—Hayley Cuccinello, CNBC, 11 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for squashing
Verb
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The goal, Hall’s second of the series, came with less than five minutes left in a wild and physical frame in which Senators defenseman Tyler Kleven knocked out Carolina defenseman Alexander Nikishin with a crushing hit and Ottawa forward Ridly Greig tried to run roughshod on the Canes.—
Julian McKenzie,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2026
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Store them in one layer to avoid crushing, and keep them in cool, dry conditions in the fridge to hinder mold growth.—
Kait Hanson,
Southern Living,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The drug has already taught the field that powerfully suppressing this key cancer driver actually works.—
Lisa Jarvis,
Mercury News,
23 Apr. 2026
-
By suppressing appetite, the body can direct more energy toward the immune response.—
Jasna Hodžić,
Big Think,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Often apologizing in between bites, Beard, 40, eats savagely with his hands, squeezing food and mashing it into his mouth.—
Michael Deeds,
Idaho Statesman,
6 Apr. 2026
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Rice impressed last season, mashing 26 home runs and driving in 65 runs, but Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter thinks the 27-year-old is going to take it to a whole new level this season, boldly predicting Rice mashes 40 home runs this season.—
Shaun McAvoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Government forces brought reinforcements into Suqaylabiyah, quelling the violence.—
Omar Albam,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Mar. 2026
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In December, the Mouse House pledged to invest $1 billion in OpenAI and entered a three-year licensing agreement for allowing over 200 Disney, Marvel, and Star Wars characters’ likenesses to be used in Sora, quelling some of the text-to-video app’s brushups with copyright law.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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From truckers to commuters, gasoline prices are squeezing budgets across the country.—
Jessica Guynn,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
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The university is scheduled to replace the turf in July, squeezing into a tight window of summer events.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The defense was more than satisfactory in subduing the league’s top offense.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
19 Apr. 2026
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Mario himself is played mostly straight by Pratt, subduing the exaggerated Italian accent from the games, while retaining the underdog aspect of a blue collar guy burdened with greater purpose.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
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People fed up with rolling blackouts have staged sporadic protests in recent days, banging pots and shouting slogans against the government, rare demonstrations in a country known for repressing dissent.—
Kate Linthicum,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Mar. 2026
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The White House imposed sanctions on Larijani in January for his role in repressing nationwide protests in the country, which saw thousands killed in the violent government crackdown, rights group say.—
Yarden Segev,
NBC news,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The probe had been crippled by a federal judge's ruling quashing subpoenas her office issued to the Federal Reserve related to a multi-billion-dollar renovation of its headquarters in Washington.—
Sean Conlon,Joseph Wilkins,
CNBC,
24 Apr. 2026
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The records also point to heightened oversight by Thibault, a bureau figure who Republicans have alleged played a central role in quashing an investigation into Hunter Biden.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
21 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Squashing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/squashing. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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