collide
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
verb
-
to crash together with a violent impact
-
to conflict in attitude, opinion, or desire; clash; disagree
Etymology
Origin of collide
1615–25; < Latin collīdere to strike together, equivalent to col- col- 1 + -līdere, combining form of laedere to strike
Explanation
It could be protons bouncing around in a particle accelerator, two cars failing to stop at an intersection, or the priorities of two people with very different goals. When things crash together, they collide. The verb collide has roots in the Latin word collidere, which comes from col- or “together” and laedere, “to strike or damage," like planes that collide in midair. Collide can also describe ideas that clash, such as expectations that collide with reality or radical views that collide with tradition.
Vocabulary lists containing collide
Conservation of Energy and Energy Transfer - Introductory
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Force and Motion (Mechanics) - Introductory
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Conservation of Energy and Energy Transfer - Middle School
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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.
But as hundreds of robot cars collide with humans, both literally and figuratively, tensions are rising.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 30, 2026
This is where the competing interests start to collide.
From MarketWatch • May 28, 2026
Past and present don’t collide so much as they fuse together; they aren’t two opposing places in time, but rather, a straight line.
From Salon • May 25, 2026
When these particles collide with oxygen atoms high in the atmosphere, the atoms release energy as soft red light, producing rare auroras visible from the ground.
From Science Daily • May 22, 2026
As it contracts, the atoms of the gas collide with each other more and more frequently and at greater and greater speeds—the gas heats up.
From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking
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.
