crash program

American  

noun

1. a plan of action entailing rapid and intensive production, growth, or the like, undertaken to meet a deadline or solve a pressing problem.

   a crash program to develop a new fighter plane.

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Etymology

Origin of crash program

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

In the early 1980s, he led the fight against a crash program to map all human genes, fearing, once again, unknown consequences.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 8, 2025

A crash program to develop a cattle equivalent might make sense, says Carol Cardona, an avian influenza specialist and poultry veterinarian at the University of Minnesota.

From Science Magazine • Apr. 1, 2024

Manhattan Project, the World War II–era crash program to build the first-ever atomic bombs.

From Scientific American • Jul. 21, 2023

Much of the pain and disruption that will result from the now-necessary crash program would have been avoided.

From Washington Post • Apr. 30, 2023

This led to the formation of a microwave committee with Loomis as chairman and Lawrence as a member, and in turn to the NDRC’s subsequent decision to establish a crash program at MIT.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik