collision course

American  

noun

1. a course or path of a vehicle, projectile, etc., that, if unchanged, will lead to a collision with another object.

2. any plan, attitude, or course of action that leads to a confrontation or conflict with another.

---

Etymology

Origin of collision course

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

European and American mores on speech are on a collision course.

From The Wall Street Journal

“This puts it on a collision course with the tribes,” said Victor Rocha, conference chair of the Indian Gaming Assn., who said he did not have advance notice of this.

From Los Angeles Times

"In other words, if two aircraft had been on a collision course, controllers would not have been able to give them instructions," he said.

From Barron's

The two forces shaping stock markets are on a collision course.

From Barron's

When SpaceX CEO Elon Musk chose a remote Texas outpost on the Gulf Coast to develop his company’s ambitious Starship, he put the 400-foot rocket on a collision course with the commercial airline industry.

From Salon