Definition

Verb: - To extinguish a burning material, especially a cigarette or cigar, by applying pressure to its tip to smother the flame and stop it from burning.

Usage

This verb is used specifically to describe the action of putting out a fire or ember by crushing it. It is most commonly applied to cigarettes, cigars, or similar small, smoldering items. - The primary and most literal meaning is to stop something from burning by pressing on it.

Examples

• "Please crush out your cigarette completely before disposing of it in the bin."
• "He crushed out the campfire embers to ensure they were completely cold."
• "For safety, always crush out your cigar in the designated ashtray."

Advanced Usage

• Figurative Use: While the core meaning is literal, it can be used metaphorically to suggest forcefully ending or suppressing something.
  • Example: "The regime moved to crush out the last sparks of rebellion." (This usage is less common and more literary.)

Variants and Related Words

• Stub out: A direct synonym, most often used for cigarettes.
  • Example: "He stubbed out his cigarette."
• Extinguish: A more general term for putting out a fire or light.
• Snuff out: Can mean to extinguish a candle by pinching, or metaphorically to end something abruptly.

Synonyms

• Stub out
• Put out
• Extinguish
• Snuff out

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Crush out does not commonly form other phrasal verbs beyond its primary meaning listed above. The particle "out" is integral to its core meaning of extinguishing.

Related Idioms

• Crush out is not typically used in idiomatic expressions. Its use remains close to its literal action.

Verb

1. extinguish by crushing
   • stub out your cigar