clash
Americanverb (used without object)
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to make a loud, harsh noise.
The gears of the old car clashed and grated.
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to come together or collide, especially noisily.
The cymbals clashed.
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to conflict; disagree.
Their stories of the accident clashed completely.
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(of juxtaposed colors) to be offensive to the eye.
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to engage in a physical conflict or contest, as in a game or a battle (often followed bywith ).
The Yankees clash with the White Sox for the final game of the season.
verb (used with object)
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to strike with a resounding or violent collision.
He clashed his fist against the heavy door.
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to produce (sound) by or as by collision.
The tower bell clashed its mournful note.
noun
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a loud, harsh noise, as of a collision.
The automobiles collided with a terrible clash.
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a collision, especially a noisy one.
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a conflict; opposition, especially of views or interests.
a clash between nations.
- Synonyms:
- dispute, altercation, disagreement
- Antonyms:
- cooperation, agreement
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a battle, fight, or skirmish.
The clash between the border patrols left three men dead.
verb
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to make or cause to make a loud harsh sound, esp by striking together
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(intr) to be incompatible; conflict
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(intr) to engage together in conflict or contest
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(intr) (of dates or events) to coincide
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(intr) (of colours) to look ugly or inharmonious together
noun
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a loud harsh noise
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a collision or conflict
-
gossip; tattle
Usage
What are other ways to say clash? A clash is a conflict; this word is also used in reference to opposition, especially of views or interests. How does clash compare to brush and struggle? Find out on Thesaurus.com.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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clashsimple
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clashessimple
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have clashedperfect
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has clashedperfect
-
am clashingprogressive
-
are clashingprogressive
-
is clashingprogressive
-
have been clashingperfect progressive
-
has been clashingperfect progressive
Past
-
clashedsimple
-
had clashedperfect
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was clashingprogressive
-
were clashingprogressive
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had been clashingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of clash
Explanation
When two things clash, they run violently into each other, often with an accompanying loud noise. The percussionist in an orchestra has the enviable job of making two cymbals clash together. Kids clash when they run into each other on the playground, but they can also clash through a strong disagreement: "My cousins always clash when it comes to deciding what movie to watch after dinner." Also, your shirt might clash with your pants, if the colors or prints simply don't go together. Clash is imitative — it sounds like its original meaning, "make a loud, sharp sound," and may be related to the words clap and crash.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Since the deadly clash on Friday in Tal, Palestinians say that there have been multiple settler attacks on villages across the West Bank.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
The remarks came a day after the envoy slammed China's "dangerous conduct" following a clash between Philippine and Chinese sailors at a disputed shoal in the South China Sea.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
Competing visions of religious liberty clash in ways difficult to resolve.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
That sort of black-and-white thinking was always going to clash with the shades of gray in Christopher Nolan’s smash-hit adaptation of “The Odyssey.”
From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026
‘Nike,’ Hazel said, stepping forward slowly, ‘you’re confused, like all the gods. The Greeks and Romans are on the verge of war. It’s causing your two aspects to clash.’
From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan
The revised time also clashes with grassroots football, played widely on a Sunday morning.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
The meetings in Manila kicked off under a cloud on Tuesday after the latest in a series of clashes between China and host country the Philippines took place in the disputed South China Sea.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
Department of Energy invoked the Defense Production Act to supersede state laws, following months of clashes between Sable and state regulators.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
Yet the effort faces formidable cultural and bureaucratic barriers, as evidenced by Günes’s clashes with what he calls the Sunday shopping police.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
In the beginning Mr. Dussel took our soon-forgotten clashes very seriously, but now he’s grown used to them and no longer tries to mediate.
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
She struggled with friendships, clashed with teachers and often tried to avoid coming into school.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
It also had an impact on several former employees who clashed with Neal or Clement, some of whom had filed whistleblower complaints.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
Police and demonstrators clashed briefly in Venice on Friday during a protest against the arrival of a mega-yacht owned by the US ambassador to Italy, Texan businessman Tilman Fertitta.
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
Though he had made six All-Star teams and also starred with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Baltimore Orioles, Bonilla played poorly and clashed with the front office, setting the table for the deferred payments and BBD.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
Inevitably, eastern customs and cultures clashed with western authorities.
From "Sterling Biographies®: Cleopatra: Egypt's Last and Greatest Queen" by Susan Blackaby
The relationship between Uefa and Fifa has been tense during the World Cup, with the governing bodies clashing over the Folarin Balogun incident and other issues.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
The gloriously confident Eden and the tormented Don seek clashing versions of artistic success, and when both eventually arrive there, the clash resounds and lingers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026
They’re both mired in clashing narratives of their relationship.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2026
Behind the scenes, however, Musk and Altman were clashing over a proposed shift of OpenAI to a for-profit business that could attract investors in the capital-intensive AI race.
From Barron's ● Apr. 24, 2026
The crying and clashing of the harmonies were an obsession in the melted bowels.
From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
