bash

[bash]

verb (used with object)

to strike with a crushing or smashing blow.
Chiefly British, Canadian. to hurl harsh verbal abuse at.

noun

a crushing blow.
Informal. a thoroughly enjoyable, lively party.

Idioms

have a bash (at), British. to attempt; make an attempt.
on the bash, British. working as a prostitute.

Origin of bash

First recorded in 1635–45; perhaps of expressive origin

Related formsbash·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for bashes

celebration, smash, punch, clobber, whack, slam, slug, spree, strike, pop, wing-ding

Examples from the Web for bashes

Contemporary Examples of bashes

Matthew Schmitz bashes Mumford and Sons over at First Things.
Mumford and Sons: The Pinterest of Folk Music
Justin Green
October 1, 2012
Harry bashes into Camilla's umbrella, trademark cheeky grin flashed.
Running Commentary from the Jubilee Pageant
Tom Sykes
June 3, 2012
Rubio bashes Crist at every opportunity while leaving Meek untouched.
Charlie Crist's Race Card
Jim DeFede
September 27, 2010

Historical Examples of bashes

Now alone, Bathurst threw himself down among the bashes in an attitude of utter depression.
Rujub, the Juggler
G. A. Henty

British Dictionary definitions for bashes

bash

verb

(tr) to strike violently or crushingly
(tr; often foll by in, down, etc) to smash, break, etc, with a crashing blowto bash a door down
(intr foll by into) to crash (into); collide (with)to bash into a lamppost
to dent or be dentedthis tin is bashed; this cover won't bash easily

noun

a heavy blow, as from a fist
a dent; indentation
a party
have a bash informal to make an attempt

Word Origin for bash

C17: of uncertain origin

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

Word Origin and History for bashes

bash

"a heavy blow," 1805, from bash (v.). Meaning "an attempt" is attested by 1948. On a bash "on a drunken spree" is slang from 1901, which gave the word its sense of "party."

bash

"to strike violently," 1640s, perhaps of Scandinavian origin, from Old Norse *basca "to strike" (cf. Swedish basa "to baste, whip, flog, lash," Danish baske "to beat, strike, cudgel"); or the whole group might be independently derived and echoic. Figurative sense of "abuse verbally or in writing" is from 1948. Related: Bashed; bashing.