dashing

[ dash-ing ]

/ ˈdæʃ ɪŋ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR dashing ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

energetic and spirited; lively: a dashing hero.

elegant and gallant in appearance and manner: a dashing young cavalry officer.

showy; stylish.

Nearby words

dashedly, dasheen, dasher, dashi, dashiki, dashing, dashing white sergeant, dashingly, dashpot, dasht-e-kavir, dasht-e-lut

Origin of dashing

First recorded in 1800–05; dash¹ + -ing²

Related formsdash·ing·ly, adverb

Definition for dashing (2 of 4)

dash

[ dash ]

/ dæʃ /

verb (used with object)

to strike or smash violently, especially so as to break to pieces: He dashed the plate into smithereens against the wall.

to throw or thrust violently or suddenly: to dash one stone against another.

to splash, often violently; bespatter (with water, mud, etc.): He recovered consciousness when they dashed water in his face.

to apply roughly, as by splashing: to dash paint here and there on the wall.

to mix or adulterate by adding another substance: to dash wine with water.

to ruin or frustrate (hopes, plans, etc.): The rain dashed our hopes for a picnic.

to depress; dispirit: The failure dashed his spirits.

to confound or abash: His rejection dashed and humiliated him.

verb (used without object)

to strike with violence: The waves dashed against the cliff.

to move with violence; rush: The horses dashed out of the burning stable.

noun

a small quantity of anything thrown into or mixed with something else: a dash of salt.

a hasty or sudden movement; a rush or sudden onset: They all made a dash for the door.

the mark or sign (—) used to note an abrupt break or pause in a sentence or hesitation in an utterance, to begin and end a parenthetic word, phrase, or clause, to indicate the omission of letters or words, to divide a line, to substitute for certain uses of the colon, and to separate any of various elements of a sentence or series of sentences, as a question from its answer.

the throwing or splashing of liquid against something: the dash of the waves against the dock.

the sound of such splashing: The dash of the waves on the beach could be heard from afar.

spirited action; élan; vigor in action or style: The dancer performed with spirit and dash.

Track. a short race: a 100-yard dash.

dashboard(def 1).

Telegraphy. a signal of longer duration than a dot, used in groups of dots, dashes, and spaces to represent letters, as in Morse code.

a hasty stroke, especially of a pen.

Archaic. a violent and rapid blow or stroke.

Verb Phrases

dash off,

to hurry away; leave: I must dash off now.
Also dash down. to write, make, accomplish, etc., hastily: We dashed off a letter to announce the news. He dashed down a memo.

Origin of dash

1250–1300; (v.) Middle English dasshen, perhaps < Old Norse; compare Danish daske slap, flap, Swedish daska; (noun) Middle English: blow, clash, derivative of the v.

SYNONYMS FOR dash

10 dart, bolt. See rush¹.

11 pinch, bit; touch.

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Definition for dashing (3 of 4)

dash

[ dash ]

/ dæʃ /

verb (used with object) Chiefly British.

to damn (usually used as an interjection).

Origin of dash

1790–1800; euphemism based on d—n, printed form of damn

Definition for dashing (4 of 4)

dash

[ dash ]

/ dæʃ /

(in West Africa)

noun

a tip, bribe, or recompense.

bribery.

verb (used with object)

to give a tip or bribe to (especially a government employee).

Origin of dash

1780–1790; perhaps first recorded in Dutch as dache, dasche (1602); origin uncertain, but often alleged to be < Portuguese das (you) give (2nd singular present indicative of dar to give)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for dashing

Leaked emails show Sony Pictures Entertainment co-chairman Amy Pascal confessing that the dashing Elba should be 007.
Exclusive: Sony Emails Reveal Studio Head Wants Idris Elba For the Next James Bond|William Boot|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He is, by all accounts, brilliant; a dashing, urbane go-getter who exudes charm.
This Scary-Smart New Minister of Economy Might Just Turn France Around|Tracy McNicoll|August 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A generation later, a dashing French socialist named Etienne Cabet founded the Icarian Nation in Illinois.
One U.S. Constitution Just Wasn’t Enough|Tom Arnold-Forster|July 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
After all, reading would be pretty boring if romance novels got all the dashing rogues.
Inside George R.R. Martin’s New Book (Mild Buzzkill: Only One Story is Martin’s)|William O’Connor|June 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST

So presenter Orlando Bloom, ever the dashing gent, held her up to the mic while she delivered her thank-yous.
Dakota Fanning on ‘Night Moves,’ Climate Change, and Hollywood’s Poor Treatment of Women|Marlow Stern|May 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She was a beauty of the dashing, dark-eyed type—a girl of courage and strong will.
The Crime of the French Caf and Other Stories|Nicholas Carter
We cannot promise one syllable from his eloquent lips, or even one glimpse at his dashing exterior.
Blackwoods Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 59, No. 365, March, 1846|Various
Youre a deal too dashing and flashing to-night, Myrtle darlin.
The Woman Gives|Owen Johnson
A minute later Luke was dashing down the hollow through which the path ran down from the moor.
Through the Fray|G. A. Henty
There are, however, plenty of young and dashing fellows to replace us, and the spirit of the whole army is admirable.
The Knight Of Gwynne, Vol. II (of II)|Charles James Lever

British Dictionary definitions for dashing (1 of 4)

dashing

/ (ˈdæʃɪŋ) /

adjective

spirited; livelya dashing young man

stylish; showya dashing hat

Derived Formsdashingly, adverb

British Dictionary definitions for dashing (2 of 4)

dash

/ (dæʃ) /

verb (mainly tr)

to hurl; crashhe dashed the cup to the floor; the waves dashed against the rocks

to mixwhite paint dashed with blue

(intr) to move hastily or recklessly; rushhe dashed to her rescue

(usually foll by off or down) to write (down) or finish (off) hastily

to destroy; frustratehis hopes were dashed

to daunt (someone); cast down; discouragehe was dashed by her refusal

noun

a sudden quick movement; dart

a small admixturecoffee with a dash of cream

a violent stroke or blow

the sound of splashing or smashingthe dash of the waves

panache; stylehe rides with dash

cut a dash See cut (def. 33)

the punctuation mark —, used singly in place of a colon, esp to indicate a sudden change of subject or grammatical anacoluthon, or in pairs to enclose a parenthetical remark

the symbol (–) used, in combination with the symbol dot (·), in the written representation of Morse and other telegraphic codesCompare dah

athletics another word (esp US and Canadian) for sprint

informal short for dashboard

Word Origin for dash

Middle English dasche, dasse

British Dictionary definitions for dashing (3 of 4)

dash

/ (dæʃ) /

interjection

informal a euphemistic word for damn (def. 1), damn (def. 2)

British Dictionary definitions for dashing (4 of 4)

dash

/ (dæʃ) Western African /

noun

a gift, commission, tip, or bribe

verb

to give (a dash) to someone

Word Origin for dash

C16: perhaps from Fanti

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for dashing (1 of 3)

dashing

adj.

1801, "given to cutting a dash" (1786), which was a colloquial expression for "acting brilliantly," from dash (n.) in the sense of "showy appearance," which is attested from 1715. The sense of "splashing" is recorded from mid-15c.

Word Origin and History for dashing (1 of 3)

dash

late 14c., from dash (v.). Sporting sense is from 1881, originally "race run in one heat."

Word Origin and History for dashing (2 of 3)

dash

c.1300, probably from a Scandinavian source (cf. Swedish daska, Danish daske "to beat, strike"), somehow imitative. The oldest sense is that in dash to pieces and dashed hopes. Intransitive meaning "move quickly" appeared c.1300, that of "to write hurriedly" is 1726. Related: Dashed; dashing.

Culture definitions for dashing

dash

A punctuation mark (—) used to indicate a sudden break in thought, to set off parenthetical material, or to take the place of such expressions as that is and namely: “He's running for reelection — if he lives until then”; “Very few people in this class — three, to be exact — have completed their projects”; “She joined the chorus for only one reason — she loves to sing.” In the last example, where the parenthetical material comes at the end of the sentence rather than in the middle, a colon could be used instead of the dash.

dashing

adjective

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of dashing

Definition for dashing (2 of 4)

dash

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

noun

Verb Phrases

Origin of dash

Definition for dashing (3 of 4)

dash

verb (used with object) Chiefly British.

Origin of dash

Definition for dashing (4 of 4)

dash

noun

verb (used with object)

Origin of dash

Examples from the Web for dashing

British Dictionary definitions for dashing (1 of 4)

dashing

adjective

British Dictionary definitions for dashing (2 of 4)

dash

verb (mainly tr)

noun

Word Origin for dash

British Dictionary definitions for dashing (3 of 4)

dash

interjection

British Dictionary definitions for dashing (4 of 4)

dash

noun

verb

Word Origin for dash

Word Origin and History for dashing (1 of 3)

dashing

Word Origin and History for dashing (1 of 3)

dash

Word Origin and History for dashing (2 of 3)

dash

Culture definitions for dashing

dash