smash
/smæʃ/ noun, verb
Forms smashes smashing smashed
- noun The sound of a violent impact; a violent striking together. “I could hear the screech of the brakes, then the horrible smash of cars colliding.”
- noun (UK, Ireland, colloquial) A traffic collision. “The driver and two passengers were badly injured in the smash.”
- noun (colloquial) Something very successful or popular (as music, food, fashion, etc). “This new show is sure to be a smash.”
- noun (tennis) A very hard overhead shot hit sharply downward. “A smash may not be as pretty as a good half volley, but it can still win points.”
- noun (colloquial, archaic) A bankruptcy.
- noun (colloquial, archaic) A disaster; a bad situation.
- noun A mashed foodstuff.
- noun A kind of julep cocktail containing chunks of fresh fruit that can be eaten after finishing the drink.
- verb (transitive) To break (something brittle) violently. “The demolition team smashed the buildings to rubble.”
- verb (intransitive) To be destroyed by being smashed. “The crockery smashed as it hit the floor.”
- verb (transitive) To hit extremely hard. “He smashed his head against the table.”
- verb (transitive, figuratively) To ruin completely and suddenly. “The news smashed any hopes of a reunion.”
- verb (transitive, figuratively) To defeat overwhelmingly; to gain a comprehensive success over. “The Indians smashed the Yankees 22-0.”
- verb (transitive, US) To deform through continuous pressure. “I slowly smashed the modeling clay flat with the palm of my hand.”
- verb (transitive, slang, vulgar) To have sex with. “Would you smash her?”
- verb (intransitive, slang, archaic) Synonym of go to smash (“to go to ruin; to fail disastrously”).
Synonyms
crash hit smash hit dash shatter pound slaughter trounce coitize go to smash thump wallop go to bed with sleep with knock bash bang belt smash-up overhead smasher strike nail boom blast bankrupt ruin break crush demolish
Etymology
Uncertain, probably of onomatopoeic origin. Compare Swedish smask (“to smack with the lips”), dialectal Swedish smaska (“to smack, kiss”), Danish smaske (“to smack with the lips”), Low German smaksen (“to smack with the lips, kiss”).
Webster’s 1913
- verb To break in pieces by violence; to dash to pieces; to crush.
- verb To break up, or to pieces suddenly, as the result of collision or pressure.
- noun A breaking or dashing to pieces; utter destruction; wreck.
- noun Hence, bankruptcy. [Colloq.]
Etymology [Cf. Sw. smisk a blow, stroke, smiska to strike, dial. Sw. smaske to kiss with a noise, and E. smack a loud kiss, a slap.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “smash”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details