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

Example Sentences

Three people have been taken to hospital following a "serious road traffic collision" in County Tyrone.

From BBC

They had outgunned Scotland, routing them at the breakdown, stifling their lethal runners, battering them in the collisions.

From BBC

Officers responded about 1:18 a.m. to a single-vehicle collision in the area near Lakewood Boulevard and Spring Street, authorities said.

From Los Angeles Times

Scientists warn that the debris is congesting space, brightening the night sky, and threatens collision with rockets, the International Space Station, and our planet.

From BBC

O'Sullivan's defence was that the failure of the smart motorway technology made the collision inevitable.

From BBC