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

A fatal collision at LaGuardia Airport last week marked the start of a difficult period for Air Canada, culminating on Monday with its CEO announcing he will soon retire.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

But the backlash was not due to the collision itself.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

Rousseau had sparked controversy by issuing an English-only video message to express condolences after a deadly collision late on March 22 between an Air Canada jet and a fire truck at New York's LaGuardia Airport.

From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026

The golf legend was involved in a two-car collision in Jupiter Island, Fla., according to the Martin County Sheriff’s office.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 29, 2026

He remained convinced that romantic behavior was basically monotonous and predictable, and that therefore one could write a fairly straightforward formula that would predict the collision course of any two people.

From "An Abundance of Katherines" by John Green