Smushes

Part of speech: verb, noun

Definitions

1. To squash or mash something into a softer, flatter form
2. to press and distort an object so that it becomes less defined or more compact
3. to forcefully combine items, resulting in a mixed or blended state

Etymology: "Smushes" is the third-person singular form of the verb "smush," and of the noun "smush" in its plural. The verb is usually traced to a blend of "smash" and "mush," which would make it a word built from two sounds that already described crushing and softness: the first suggests force, the second the soft, pulpy result. That combination fits the meaning well, since to smush something is to squeeze or press it together until its parts lose their shape and run into one another. The source only offers this blend as a possibility, so the exact history remains open. What the word's form and meaning make clear is that it sounds like what it describes, a pattern common in informal English.

Synonyms: squashes, crushes, compresses, mashes, flattens

Antonyms: expands, inflates, loosens, separates, stretches