collision

American  

[kuh-lizh-uhn] / kəˈlɪʒ ən /

noun

• collisions
  plural

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

Derived Forms

• anticollision
  adjective
• collisional
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• collisions
  plural

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

See Examples For:

collision collisions

A 50-year-old man has died following a collision in Lisburn on Tuesday.

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026

The collision occurred 18 nautical miles off Silivri district on the western edge of Istanbul province, with Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu telling journalists the damaged vessel had sunk "very quickly".

From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026

Beginning in the 1950s, high-energy collision experiments started revealing large numbers of subatomic particles collectively known as hadrons.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 2, 2026

It says Starlink satellites will move out of the way when the chance of a collision exceeds three out of 10 million.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026

Samir took the brunt of the collision in his belly.

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

The city is rolling out 125 speed cameras in school zones, known street-racing corridors and places where speeding has contribute to a high rate of collisions — including Reid’s intersection.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026

The increasing quantity of satellites and debris in low-Earth orbit—roughly 100 to 1,200 miles above the planet—is raising concerns of collisions that could damage or destroy spacecraft and satellites.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026

Police said there were no collisions as a result of the vehicle travelling in the wrong direction, but their investigation was ongoing.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

Scientists had long thought that producing this plasma required collisions between very heavy nuclei, such as lead.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 23, 2026

The result was a long series of collisions between the haves and the have-nots of history.

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