collision

American  

[kuh-lizh-uhn] / kəˈlɪʒ ən /

noun

• collisions
  plural

1. the act of colliding; a coming violently into contact; crash.

   the collision of two airplanes.

2. a clash; conflict.

   a collision of purposes.

3. Physics. the meeting of particles or of bodies in which each exerts a force upon the other, causing the exchange of energy or momentum.

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collision British  

/ kəˈlɪʒən /

noun

1. a violent impact of moving objects; crash

2. the conflict of opposed ideas, wishes, attitudes, etc

   a collision of interests

3. physics an event in which two or more bodies or particles come together with a resulting change of direction and, normally, energy

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• anticollision
  adjective
• collisional
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• collisions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of collision

1400–50; late Middle English < Late Latin collīsiōn- (stem of collīsiō ), equivalent to collīs ( us ) (past participle of collīdere to collide ) + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

A collision is when two or more things smash together. You shouldn't give yourself a pedicure while driving because it might result in a collision, wrecking your car and spoiling your toenail polish to boot. Collision comes from the Latin col-, "together," and lædĕre, "to hurt by striking." When a train hits a car, that's a collision. An asteroid hurtling toward earth is on a "collision course" with our planet. Collision also works for abstract conflicts that get violent or hurt your brain somehow, like the collision between two politicians during a debate, or the collision of colors in your outfit.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

collision collisions

The collision occurred 18 nautical miles off Silivri district on the western edge of Istanbul province, with Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu telling journalists the damaged vessel had sunk "very quickly".

From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026

Police have appealed for anyone with information about the collision or who has dash-cam footage of what happened to contact them.

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026

Beginning in the 1950s, high-energy collision experiments started revealing large numbers of subatomic particles collectively known as hadrons.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 2, 2026

It says Starlink satellites will move out of the way when the chance of a collision exceeds three out of 10 million.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026

Like people who attend auto races secretly hoping for an accident, they would come to the charrette anticipating a spectacular collision between Ann and C.P.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

The city is rolling out 125 speed cameras in school zones, known street-racing corridors and places where speeding has contribute to a high rate of collisions — including Reid’s intersection.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026

The rising volume of satellites and debris in low-Earth orbit is fueling concerns over potential collisions that could damage or destroy spacecraft.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026

Police said there were no collisions as a result of the vehicle travelling in the wrong direction, but their investigation was ongoing.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

Collisions between two oxygen nuclei generate a relatively rounded pattern, while collisions involving neon create a distinctive bowling-pin-shaped pattern.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 23, 2026

The fact that the partners were expected to maintain contact throughout these clumsy contortions seemed a certain recipe for sprained ankles and embarrassing collisions.

From "The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book I: The Mysterious Howling" by Maryrose Wood