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

“The deceased was a restrained driver involved in a single vehicle collision at a high rate of speed,” the report states.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026

The incident comes less than a fortnight after a person died in the south-eastern Var region following a collision between a regional train and a truck.

From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026

Video from newsgathering service OnScene.TV shows the truck’s hood lifted and the front of the SUV crushed from the collision.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 5, 2026

Meanwhile, two motorcyclists, aged in their 30s, are in a critical but stable condition in hospital after they were involved in a one-vehicle collision in Lisburn.

From BBC • Apr. 5, 2026

Samir took the brunt of the collision in his belly.

From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri