Have a Crush on Someone: Meaning and Examples

Meaning 1：be infatuated with (have a crush on someone)

have a crush on someone 🔊

/hæv ə krʌʃ ɒn ˈsʌmˌwʌn/

v. phr.

To feel a strong but often short-lived attraction or liking for someone, usually secretly.

Teenager having a crush on someone in a sunny park scene

be infatuated with 🔊

➕

/biː ɪnˈfætʃuˌeɪtɪd wɪð/

v. phr.

To experience a strong, often temporary and secret, romantic attraction toward another person.

📁 Category：Behaviors & Actions 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

'Crush' (originally 'to crowd') evolved in the 19th century to mean romantic infatuation.

💡 Mnemonic

Imagine your heart being 'crushed' by the weight of your secret love for someone.

📖 Example

My sister has a crush on her piano teacher because he plays beautiful music. 🔊 My sister has a crush on her piano teacher because he plays beautiful music.

🔗 Collocations

develop a crush – to start feeling a crush

secret crush – a crush that one keeps hidden

childhood crush – a crush one had during childhood

🔄 Synonyms

be infatuated with (v. phr.) – to have an intense but often short-lived passion for someone

have a thing for (v. phr.) – informal expression meaning to be attracted to someone

be smitten with (v. phr.) – to be suddenly and strongly attracted to someone

🚫 Antonyms

be indifferent to (v. phr.) – to have no interest or attraction toward someone

dislike (v.) – to not like someone

be repelled by (v. phr.) – to feel strong aversion toward someone

📖 Cultural Story

The slang term 'crush' for infatuation emerged in 1880s America. It possibly comes from the idea of being overwhelmed ('crushed') by emotion, or from 'crush' meaning a crowd of admirers.