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

But the backlash was not due to the collision itself.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

But by identifying those overlapping circles of interest, they might just find a way to exit on the other side without a collision.

From The Wall Street Journal • 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 collision happened around 4:58 a.m. in the eastbound lanes near Crenshaw Boulevard, according to the California Highway Patrol.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 29, 2026

Chapter 18 returns to the problem introduced in Chapter 3, the collision between European and Native American peoples.

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