clash
Americanverb (used without object)
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clashes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
clashed,
past participle, past
-
clashing
present participle
-
to make a loud, harsh noise.
The gears of the old car clashed and grated.
-
to come together or collide, especially noisily.
The cymbals clashed.
-
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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clashes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
clashed,
past participle, past
-
clashing
present participle
-
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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clashes
plural
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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
-
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
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am clashingprogressive
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are clashingprogressive
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is clashingprogressive
-
have been clashingperfect progressive
-
has been clashingperfect progressive
Past
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clashedsimple
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had clashedperfect
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was clashingprogressive
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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:
That means that Indiana’s law and others like it will force the courts to figure out which state law to apply when a clash arises.
From Slate ● Aug. 28, 2026
It restarted in 2025 for Indians for the first time since a 2020 border clash.
From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026
In death, the beloved bald eagle’s final resting place has ignited a bitter clash where internet fame and tribal rights collide.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
This was evident in the conflict’s first significant clash in February of 1690.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
“I’m fine, Father. It’s only my allergies because of the weather, you know, the clash of harmattan and rainy season.”
From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
The ice-cream brand, in the midst of a sweeping overhaul of its board, is poised to appoint three independent directors after clashes over the board’s social activism.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
It was deployed on Monday by UN helicopters to Minembwe in South Kivu province, which has seen intense clashes in recent months, according to UN and government sources.
From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026
The pair are the ninth and tenth people to be sentenced for their role in the clashes that day, and the eighth and ninth to be jailed.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
But the company’s AI strategy has faced internal culture clashes and organizational hurdles since the very beginning.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026
We never laid a hand on each other again, and even though we’d get into plenty of verbal clashes, our tiffs tended to end the way our fistfight had, with us cracking up.
From "If I Stay" by Gayle Forman
“The principal problem with this list is the total ignorance about the work of independent journalism,” wrote Ramos, who has clashed publicly with Sheinbaum and her predecessor and mentor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
It isn’t yet entirely clear who regulates prediction markets and how, and markets have regularly clashed with state officials trying to rein them in.
From Salon ● Aug. 13, 2026
Former Spain captain Casillas also revealed that he clashed with Mourinho over the manager's attitude towards his international team-mates who played for Barcelona.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
Protesters clashed with police as thousands of people braved stormy weather to demonstrate against a controversial private property bill outside the Argentine Senate on Thursday.
From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026
The armed men that stood near clashed their weapons, crying: ‘The Lord of the Mark will ride! Forth Eorlingas!’
From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien
Some rival studios have pushed their releases forward to avoid clashing with "GTA VI", creating an unusually dense calendar of new games.
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026
Along with Google’s deep pockets came fiduciary duties to shareholders and clashing organizational interests.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026
Indian Creek represents one of South Florida’s major battlefields where the region’s newly minted billionaires are clashing with those of more modest affluence who often trace their Miami roots back generations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
Burnham has not shied away from clashing with the Premier League and football's authorities.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
Down here, in the temple’s literal bowels, there was no faint smell of ink and parchment, only the clashing smells of old wood, sweet hay, and mucked dung.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
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.
