The Eighth Army had suffered a crushing defeat.crushingcrush‧ing /ˈkrʌʃɪŋ/ adjective [usually before noun] 
The Eighth Army had suffered a crushing defeat. Failing his final exams was a crushing blow (=made him lose hope and confidence). the crushing burden of debt2a crushing remark, reply etc contains a very strong criticism—crushingly adverb: ‘That’s fairly obvious,’ she replied crushingly.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Republicans in the state suffered a crushing defeat in last month's elections.
- And the really crushing blow came when the owner of his star performer, Joveworth, removed the horse from the yard.
- Formby suffered a crushing 10 wicket defeat at home to local rivals Southport.
- He had felt betrayed by the visit, after hoping to be lifted out of his crushing depression by it.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY The Eighth Army had suffered a crushing defeat. Failing his final exams was a crushing blow (=made him lose hope and confidence).COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
1very hard to deal with, and making you lose hope and confidence: The Eighth Army had suffered a crushing defeat. Failing his final exams was a crushing blow (=made him lose hope and confidence). (=extremely hard to bear)· Her loss came as a devastating blow to her father.
(=a complete defeat, by a very large amount)· He quit as prime minister following a crushing defeat in regional elections.
(=a win by a very large amount)· Australia won a crushing 139-run victory over the West Indies.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSNOUN· And the really crushing blow came when the owner of his star performer, Joveworth, removed the horse from the yard.
The Eighth Army had suffered a crushing defeat. Failing his final exams was a crushing blow (=made him lose hope and confidence). the crushing burden of debt2a crushing remark, reply etc contains a very strong criticism—crushingly adverb: ‘That’s fairly obvious,’ she replied crushingly.