crash

¹

[ krash ]

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)

1. to break into pieces violently and noisily; shatter.

   Synonyms: smash, break

2. to force or drive with violence and noise (usually followed by in, through, out, etc.).
3. Aeronautics. to cause (an aircraft) to make a landing in an abnormal manner, usually damaging or wrecking the aircraft.
4. 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

1. a sudden loud noise, as of something being violently smashed or struck:

   the crash of thunder.

2. a breaking or falling to pieces with loud noise:

   the sudden crash of dishes.

3. a collision or crashing, as of automobiles, trains, etc.
4. the shock of collision and breaking.
5. a sudden and violent falling to ruin.

   Synonyms: ruin, failure

6. a sudden general collapse of a business enterprise, prosperity, the stock market, etc.:

   the crash of 1929.

7. Aeronautics. an act or instance of crashing.
8. Ecology. a sudden, rapid decline in the size of a population.

adjective

1. 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.

crash

²

[ krash ]

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.

crash

¹

/ 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. intr to break or smash in pieces with a loud noise
4. intr 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. See gate-crash
   informal.
   short for gate-crash
9. intr (of a computer system or program) to fail suddenly and completely because of a malfunction
10. See crash out
    slang.
    intr another term for crash out
11. crash and burn informal.
    crash and burn to fail; be unsuccessful

noun

1. an act or instance of breaking and falling to pieces
2. a sudden loud noise

   the crash of thunder

3. a collision, as between vehicles
4. a sudden descent of an aircraft as a result of which it hits land or water
5. the sudden collapse of a business, stock exchange, etc, esp one causing further financial failure
6. 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

7. crash-and-burn informal.
   crash-and-burn a complete failure

crash

²

/ kræʃ /

noun

1. a coarse cotton or linen cloth used for towelling, curtains, etc

Derived Forms

• ˈcrasher, noun

Other Words From

• crasher noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of crash¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; 1920–25 crash ¹fordef 16; 1870–75 crash ¹fordef 22; Middle English crasche, blend of crase “to break” and masche “to crush, pulp”; craze, mash ¹

Origin of crash²

First recorded in 1805–15; probably from Russian krashenína “painted or dyed coarse linen,” equivalent to kráshenyĭ “painted” (past participle of krásit' “to paint”) + -ina noun suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of crash¹

C14: probably from crasen to smash, shatter + dasshen to strike violently, dash ¹; see craze

Origin of crash²

C19: from Russian krashenina coloured linen

Example Sentences

Car crashes injure several million Americans a year, but driving lets people feel they’re in control.

From Science News

Working on the project was like a peer-taught crash course in server management and maintenance.

From MIT Technology Review

He also cautions against buying into the kinds of “this time it’s different” theories that crashed with the dotcoms.

From Fortune

These huge slabs, which make up Earth’s outer layer, crash into and slide over each other in extreme slow motion.

From Science News For Students

If you have someone crashing on your couch, or you host one of your rooms as an Airbnb, then you've experienced the meaning of the word boarder.

From Everything After Z

Father Joel Román Salazar died in a car crash in 2013; his death was ruled an accident, but the suspicion of foul play persists.

From The Daily Beast

So I drove around the corner to the trailhead of the logging road that led back to the crash site.

From The Daily Beast

Instead, the man and woman in the truck wanted to know where the crash site was and whether would I show them.

From The Daily Beast

There is the smell here of an indecent rush for scapegoats, even before we know what really caused this crash.

From The Daily Beast

These days weather should never cause a commercial airliner to crash.

From The Daily Beast

Another crash, which nearly shut up his spine like a telescope, told him that there were no wings.

From Project Gutenberg

Fortunately, the last crash had been passed without dislocating the parts of either sledge or rider.

From Project Gutenberg

The station building gave sickening creaks; then it toppled with a crash.

From Project Gutenberg

He made a sweeping gesture, knocking over his liqueur glass; it fell with a crash on the parquet floor.

From Project Gutenberg

Inspector Kerry brought his cane down with a crash upon the table, whereat Coombes started nervously.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• bump
• collapse
• collide
• ditch
• dive
• drop
• hurtle
• meet
• overturn
• plunge
• slip
• smash
• topple
• tumble