Try Our Apps
Dictionary.com

follow Dictionary.com

Avoid these words. Seriously.

crash1

[krash] /kræʃ/
See more synonyms on Thesaurus.com
verb (used without object)
1.
to make a loud, clattering noise, as of something dashed to pieces.
2.
to break or fall to pieces with noise.
3.
(of moving vehicles, objects, etc.) to collide, especially violently and noisily.
4.
to move or go with a crash; strike with a crash.
5.
Aeronautics. to land in an abnormal manner, usually causing severe damage:
The airliner crashed.
6.
to collapse or fail suddenly, as a financial enterprise:
The stock market crashed.
7.
Informal. to gain admittance to a party, performance, etc., without an invitation, ticket, or permission.
8.
Slang.
  1. to sleep.
  2. to have a temporary place to sleep or live without payment:
    He let me crash at his house.
  3. to fall asleep:
    I get home in the evening and I just crash till it's time for dinner.
9.
Slang. to experience unpleasant sensations, as sudden exhaustion or depression, when a drug, especially an amphetamine, wears off.
10.
Medicine/Medical Slang. to suffer cardiac arrest.
11.
Ecology. (of a population) to decline rapidly.
12.
Computers. to shut down because of a malfunction of hardware or software.
verb (used with object)
13.
to break into pieces violently and noisily; shatter.
14.
to force or drive with violence and noise (usually followed by in, through, out, etc.).
15.
Aeronautics. to cause (an aircraft) to make a landing in an abnormal manner, usually damaging or wrecking the aircraft.
16.
Informal.
  1. to gain admittance to, even though uninvited:
    to crash a party.
  2. to enter without a ticket, permission, etc.:
    to crash the gate at a football game.
noun
17.
a sudden loud noise, as of something being violently smashed or struck:
the crash of thunder.
18.
a breaking or falling to pieces with loud noise:
the sudden crash of dishes.
19.
a collision or crashing, as of automobiles, trains, etc.
20.
the shock of collision and breaking.
21.
a sudden and violent falling to ruin.
22.
a sudden general collapse of a business enterprise, prosperity, the stock market, etc.:
the crash of 1929.
23.
Aeronautics. an act or instance of crashing.
24.
Ecology. a sudden, rapid decline in the size of a population.
adjective
25.
characterized by an intensive effort, especially to deal with an emergency, meet a deadline, etc.:
a crash plan to house flood victims; a crash diet.
Origin of crash1
Middle English
1350-1400
1350-1400; 1920-25 def. 16; 1870-75 for def 22; Middle English crasche, blend of crase to break (see craze) and masche mash1
Related forms
crasher, noun
Synonyms
See more synonyms on Thesaurus.com
13. smash. 21. failure, ruin.

crash2

[krash] /kræʃ/
noun
1.
a plain-weave fabric of rough, irregular, or lumpy yarns, for toweling, dresses, etc.
2.
Bookbinding. starched cotton fabric used to reinforce the spine of a bound book.
Origin
1805-15; probably < Russian krashenína painted or dyed coarse linen, equivalent to kráshen(yĭ) painted (past participle of krásit' to paint) + -ina noun suffix
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018.
Cite This Source
Examples from the Web for crash
Contemporary Examples
Historical Examples

  • The sea is sleeping sapphire that wakes to cream and crash upon the beach.

    Ballads of a Bohemian Robert W. Service

  • It fell slowly, with a crash that was like a faint echo of the explosion.

    Way of the Lawless Max Brand

  • The reply came with a soft distinctness that was like a crash of destiny.

    Within the Law Marvin Dana

  • To use the one rein meant a crash into the rail, and surely death.

    Thoroughbreds W. A. Fraser

  • It hung for a moment and then fell into the boat below with a crash.

    Howard Pyle's Book of Pirates Howard Pyle
British Dictionary definitions for crash

crash1

/kræʃ/
verb
1.
to make or cause to make a loud noise as of solid objects smashing or clattering
2.
to fall or cause to fall with force, breaking in pieces with a loud noise as of solid objects smashing
3.
(intransitive) to break or smash in pieces with a loud noise
4.
(intransitive) to collapse or fail suddenly: this business is sure to crash
5.
to cause (an aircraft) to hit land or water violently resulting in severe damage or (of an aircraft) to hit land or water in this way
6.
to cause (a car, etc) to collide with another car or other object or (of two or more cars) to be involved in a collision
7.
to move or cause to move violently or noisily: to crash through a barrier
8.
(Brit, informal) short for gate-crash
9.
(intransitive) (of a computer system or program) to fail suddenly and completely because of a malfunction
10.
(intransitive) (slang) another term for crash out
11.
(informal) crash and burn, to fail; be unsuccessful
noun
12.
an act or instance of breaking and falling to pieces
13.
a sudden loud noise: the crash of thunder
14.
a collision, as between vehicles
15.
a sudden descent of an aircraft as a result of which it hits land or water
16.
the sudden collapse of a business, stock exchange, etc, esp one causing further financial failure
17.
(modifier)
  1. requiring or using intensive effort and all possible resources in order to accomplish something quickly: a crash programme
  2. sudden or vigorous: a crash halt, a crash tackle
18.
(informal) crash-and-burn, a complete failure
See also crash out
Derived Forms
crasher, noun
Word Origin
C14: probably from crasen to smash, shatter + dasshen to strike violently, dash1; see craze

crash2

/kræʃ/
noun
1.
a coarse cotton or linen cloth used for towelling, curtains, etc
Word Origin
C19: from Russian krashenina coloured linen
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cite This Source
Word Origin and History for crash
v.

c.1400, crasschen "break in pieces;" with no identifiable ancestors or relatives it probably is imitative. Computing sense is 1973, which makes it one of the earliest computer jargon words. Meaning "break into a party, etc." is 1922. Slang meaning "to sleep" dates from 1943; especially from 1965. Related: Crashed; crashing.

n.

1570s, from crash (v.); sense of "financial collapse" is from 1817, "collision" is from 1910; references to falling of airplanes are from World War I.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Slang definitions & phrases for crash

crash

noun

  1. The empty feeling, depression, etc, felt when a euphoric intoxication ends; letdown: The ''crash'' from coke is grim (1960s+ Narcotics)
  2. A collapse of a securities market

verb

  1. To break into a building; enter by force: Hoover's men crashed Doc's apartment (1920s+)
  2. To rob a place, esp by breaking in; crack (1920s+)
  3. To gain admittance to some desired category or milieu: In LA she tried to crash TV (1922+)
  4. (also crash the gate) To go to a party or other event uninvited or without tickets (1922+)
  5. To sleep or live at a place for a day or so, usually without invitation: I heard about this place and hoped I could crash here for a day or two (1960s+ Counterculture)
  6. To go to sleep (1960s+ Counterculture)
  7. To lose consciousness from narcotics or alcohol (1960s+ Students)
  8. To fail suddenly: The spacecraft's No 1 computer ''crashed'' or shut down/ computers that can alert a mainframe owner to an impending computer ''crash'' (1970s+ Computer)
  9. To lose a significant portion of value in a short time, as with securities
The Dictionary of American Slang, Fourth Edition by Barbara Ann Kipfer, PhD. and Robert L. Chapman, Ph.D.
Copyright (C) 2007 by HarperCollins Publishers.
Cite This Source

Word of the Day

Related Words

Nearby words for crash

Word Value for crash

10
10
Scrabble Words With Friends
Extra Cozy Words We Need Right Now