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Synonyms

collide

American  
[kuh-lahyd] / kəˈlaɪd /

verb (used without object)

collided, colliding

  1. to strike one another or one against the other with a forceful impact; come into violent contact; crash.

    The two cars collided with an ear-splitting crash.
    Synonyms:
    clash, smash, hit

  2. to clash; conflict.

    Their views on the matter collided.

verb (used with object)

collided, colliding

  1. to cause to collide.

    drivers colliding their cars in a demolition derby.
collide British  
/ kəˈlaɪd /

verb

  1. to crash together with a violent impact

  2. to conflict in attitude, opinion, or desire; clash; disagree

"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

Etymology

Origin of collide

1615–25; < Latin collīdere to strike together, equivalent to col- col- 1 + -līdere, combining form of laedere to strike

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.

The sun’s mass makes it a gravity-powered fusion reactor, but on Earth, scientists need other ways to create plasma—a superheated, electrically charged gas—and confine it to force atoms to collide.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 28, 2026

When charged particles from the Sun are guided by Earth's magnetic field towards the poles, they collide with gases high in the atmosphere.

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

Heavy elements such as gold and platinum are forged under extraordinary conditions, including when stars collapse, explode, or collide.

From Science Daily • Mar. 13, 2026

“One Piece” unfolds in an alternate past where futuristic technology, classic pirate imagery and fantasy collide.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 10, 2026

The speeding neutrons would collide with other uranium atoms, causing them to fission also.

From "Bomb" by Steve Sheinkin

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.