collision

American  

[kuh-lizh-uhn] / kəˈlɪʒ ən /

noun

1. the act of colliding; a coming violently into contact; crash.

   the collision of two airplanes.

2. a clash; conflict.

   a collision of purposes.

3. Physics. the meeting of particles or of bodies in which each exerts a force upon the other, causing the exchange of energy or momentum.

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collision British  

/ kəˈlɪʒən /

noun

1. a violent impact of moving objects; crash

2. the conflict of opposed ideas, wishes, attitudes, etc

   a collision of interests

3. physics an event in which two or more bodies or particles come together with a resulting change of direction and, normally, energy

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Other Word Forms

• anticollision
  adjective
• collisional
  adjective

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.

Example Sentences

A large police cordon is in place at Hyde Park Corner in central London after a serious road collision.

From BBC • May 23, 2026

The palace was not flying the Royal Standard, suggesting King Charles was not present at the time of the collision.

From BBC • May 23, 2026

"The present-day relief of Central Asia was largely built by the India-Eurasia collision and ongoing convergence," said co-author Associate Professor Stijn Glorie, from Adelaide University's School of Physics, Chemistry and Earth Sciences.

From Science Daily • May 18, 2026

The Santa Monica Police Department and Santa Monica Fire Department responded to a collision around 2 p.m. on Friday involving a pedestrian and a bus.

From Los Angeles Times • May 17, 2026

The largest population replacement of the last 13,000 years has been the one resulting from the recent collision between Old World and New World societies.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond