collision
Americannoun
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the act of colliding; a coming violently into contact; crash.
the collision of two airplanes.
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a clash; conflict.
a collision of purposes.
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Physics. the meeting of particles or of bodies in which each exerts a force upon the other, causing the exchange of energy or momentum.
noun
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a violent impact of moving objects; crash
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the conflict of opposed ideas, wishes, attitudes, etc
a collision of interests
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physics an event in which two or more bodies or particles come together with a resulting change of direction and, normally, energy
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
Vocabulary lists containing collision
Conservation of Energy and Energy Transfer - Introductory
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Force and Motion (Mechanics) - Middle School
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Force and Motion (Mechanics) - Introductory
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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.
Collision avoidance, lane departure, rollover stability, all those things that assist our drivers, we have them on our tractors.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 1, 2026
A $1,000 deductible used to be a rarity but now it’s common, said Aaron Schulenburg, executive director of the Society of Collision Repair Specialists.
From MarketWatch • Dec. 23, 2025
Collision investigators said the crash occurred because the driver was "driving at significantly excessive speed for the road layout and approaching hazards of which she was warned of".
From BBC • Nov. 20, 2025
Jordin Blackmon from Bishop Montgomery and Caleb Versher from St. Bernard were named the girls and boys MVPs from the Collision all-star basketball games Saturday.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 21, 2025
Collision with a floating mine might explain explosion, but seems fanciful, besides highly unlikely as sinking started at stem, which in all likelihood would mean that hull breach was at stem too.
From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel
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.
