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.

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Etymology

Origin of collision course

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

Former OpenAI employees founded Anthropic in 2021 on the premise that AI development should prioritize safety -- a philosophy that now puts it on a collision course with the Pentagon and the White House.

From Barron's • Feb. 26, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 21, 2026

That ruling likely sets the San Francisco case on a collision course with other lawsuits seeking to curb ICE’s incursions into spaces previously considered off-limits.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 25, 2025

England and Ireland would also be kept apart from each other until the semis, while the Springboks and All Blacks would be on a quarter-final collision course, ensuring one would fall before the last four.

From BBC • Dec. 3, 2025

LeMay’s view of the Cold War was driven by the assumption that the Soviet Union and the United States were on a collision course.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin