squash

Compared meaning: to press something until it breaks or flattens (verb).

比较义项：压碎、压扁（动词）。

• crush

  Crush suggests strong force that breaks or flattens something completely, often hard or brittle objects (garlic, ice, cans); it can also be used figuratively, as in crushing someone's hopes.

  crush 强调用很大的力气把物体完全压碎或压扁，常用于较硬或易碎的东西（如大蒜、冰块、易拉罐），也可以用于比喻，例如挫败某人的希望。

  Crush the ice cubes into small pieces before adding them to the blender.

  在放进搅拌机之前，先把冰块压碎成小块。

• squash 本词

  Squash describes pressing a soft or round object flat, often by accident, such as sitting or stepping on it; it has a casual, everyday tone and rarely appears in cooking instructions.

  squash 描述把柔软或圆形的物体压扁，常常是意外造成的，比如坐到或踩到某样东西上；语气比较口语化，很少用于烹饪说明中。

  She squashed the mosquito against the wall with her hand.

  她用手把蚊子压扁在墙上。

• mash

  Mash means crushing food into a soft, smooth mass, usually on purpose with a utensil like a fork, and is almost always about food preparation rather than other objects.

  mash 指用叉子等工具有意把食物压成柔软光滑的泥状，几乎只用于食物的制作，不用于其他物品。

  Mash the ripe avocado with a fork to make guacamole.

  用叉子把熟透的牛油果捣成泥，做成鳄梨酱。

Crush, squash, and mash mean pressing something until it breaks or flattens. Crush means using strong force on something hard, and can be used figuratively. Squash means accidentally pressing something soft or round flat. Mash means purposely crushing food into a soft mass.

这三个词都表示“用力使物体变形或破碎”，但侧重点不同：crush 强调用力把物体压碎、压变形，语气较重，也可用于比喻；squash 强调把柔软或圆形的物体意外压扁，语气比较随意；mash 专指把食物压成软泥状，通常是有意为之，几乎只用于食物。这里不比较 crush 表示“短暂而强烈的迷恋”的意思，也不比较 squash 表示“南瓜类蔬菜”或“壁球运动”的意思。