smash

American  

[smash] / smæʃ /

verb (used with object)

• smashes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• smashed,
  past participle,  past
• smashing
  present participle

1. to break to pieces with violence and often with a crashing sound, as by striking, letting fall, or dashing against something; shatter.

   He smashed the vase against the wall.

2. to defeat, disappoint, or disillusion utterly.

3. to hit or strike (someone or something) with force.

4. to overthrow or destroy something considered as harmful.

   They smashed the drug racket.

5. to ruin financially.

   The depression smashed him.

   Synonyms:

   bankrupt

6. Tennis, Badminton, Table Tennis. to hit (a ball or shuttlecock) overhead or overhand with a hard downward motion, causing the shot to move very swiftly and to strike the ground or table usually at a sharp angle.

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verb (used without object)

• smashes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• smashed,
  past participle,  past
• smashing
  present participle

1. to break to pieces from a violent blow or collision.

2. to dash with a shattering or crushing force or with great violence; crash (usually followed by against, into, through, etc.).

3. to become financially ruined or bankrupt (often followed byup ).

4. to flatten and compress the signatures of a book in a press before binding.

noun

• smashes
  plural

1. the act or an instance of smashing or shattering.

   Synonyms:

   crash

2. the sound of such a smash.

3. a blow, hit, or slap.

4. a destructive collision, as between automobiles.

5. a smashed or shattered condition.

6. a process or state of collapse, ruin, or destruction.

   the total smash that another war would surely bring.

7. financial failure or ruin.

8. Informal. smash hit.

9. a drink made of brandy, or other liquor, with sugar, water, mint, and ice.

10. Tennis, Badminton, Table Tennis.

    1. an overhead or overhand stroke in which the ball or shuttlecock is hit with a hard, downward motion causing it to move very swiftly and to strike the ground or table usually at a sharp angle.

    2. a ball hit with such a stroke.

adjective

1. of, relating to, or constituting a great success.

   That composer has written many smash tunes.

smash British  

/ smæʃ /

verb

1. to break into pieces violently and usually noisily

2. to throw or crash (against) vigorously, causing shattering

   he smashed the equipment

   it smashed against the wall

3. (tr) to hit forcefully and suddenly

4. (tr) tennis squash badminton to hit (the ball) fast and powerfully, esp with an overhead stroke

5. (tr) to defeat or wreck (persons, theories, etc)

6. (tr) to make bankrupt

7. (intr) to collide violently; crash

8. to go bankrupt

9. informal to beat someone severely

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noun

1. an act, instance, or sound of smashing or the state of being smashed

2. a violent collision, esp of vehicles

3. a total failure or collapse, as of a business

4. tennis squash badminton a fast and powerful overhead stroke

5. informal

   1. something having popular success

   2. ( in combination )

      smash-hit

6. slang loose change; coins

adverb

1. with a smash

Synonym Usage

See break.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• smashable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• smashes
  plural

Participles

• smashing
  present
• smashed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• smash
  simple
• smashes
  simple
• have smashed
  perfect
• has smashed
  perfect
• am smashing
  progressive
• are smashing
  progressive
• is smashing
  progressive
• have been smashing
  perfect progressive
• has been smashing
  perfect progressive

Past

• smashed
  simple
• had smashed
  perfect
• was smashing
  progressive
• were smashing
  progressive
• had been smashing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will smash
  simple
• will have smashed
  perfect
• will be smashing
  progressive
• will have been smashing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of smash

1690–1700; perhaps blend of smack ² and mash ¹

Explanation

To smash something is to hit or throw it so hard that it breaks or is hurt. It's important to pay careful attention while you're driving so you don't smash into the car in front of you. A running child can smash into her friend and knock her down, and an angry chef can smash a plate by throwing it on the floor. In the latter example, there's the additional meaning of "break into pieces." A smash can be a car accident, but it can also be a "great big success," like a TV series that starts slow but turns out to be a smash. This "hit" meaning dates from 1920s reviews of Broadway plays.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

smash smashes smashed smashing

Coogler’s recent deal with Warner Bros. to regain ownership rights to his smash hit “Sinners” was a boon for filmmakers who’ve long been frustrated with studio greed and meddling.

From Salon ● Aug. 19, 2026

"If you bring Triton in, and you smash up your large moons, we think only 1 percent or so of that material stayed around in the system," Davis says.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 14, 2026

She rose to global stardom with her 1972 album "No Secrets," which spawned the number one smash "You're So Vain."

From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026

Order a flight or a bottle at the bar, then head outside to the winery’s food truck for a plate of arancini or a smash burger.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

“No, thank you. I’d rather not. I shall drop it or smash it, as sure as fate.”

From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott

The sale smashes the record previously set for a residential real estate deal in the Hualālai, which previously stood at $30.2 million, according to Kildow.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026

"I get very scared at the non-striker's end when Freya is batting because she absolutely smashes the ball," she said.

From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026

Complications commence when a space research vessel smashes into Prodigy Corp.-controlled Bangkok.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2026

When a pianist smashes a bunch of keys at once, he replies, from far away, “That’s every note except F sharp.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 21, 2026

Through the small window, I watch the ocean roll, the rickety Oasis breaking up as it smashes against the rocks.

From "What the Night Sings" by Vesper Stamper

Surveillance footage from March 22 captured the moment the plane smashed into the rescue vehicle as it crossed its path, sending both hurtling down the runway.

From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026

At CERN, atomic nuclei can be accelerated to nearly the speed of light and smashed together.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 23, 2026

A police pursuit early Wednesday through Los Angeles ended in dramatic fashion when the fleeing vehicle smashed into a row of parked cars, injuring the driver and scattering glass and debris across the road.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

Broken engine fragments smashed a cabin window of a Ryanair plane last month causing a man's head and right shoulder to be sucked into the hole, US investigators have said.

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

Marco and Cook were thrown out like rag dolls and the boat smashed back into the sea with a massive thud.

From "The Boy Who Met a Whale" by Nizrana Farook

Brentford are off to an absolute flyer - smashing Tottenham then hitting Birmingham for six or seven.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

Camarillo should reach 105 degrees and Oxnard 90 degrees, both smashing records of 86 set in 2015.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

The video parodied extreme practices associated with the trend, like “bone smashing for facial symmetry,” before promoting lotion.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

"He's absolutely smashing it," influencer and former reality show star Georgia Harrison, who has 1.3 million followers on Instagram, told Times Radio.

From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026

"A political paper! Too bad the war will soon be over. The army could use soldiers like you. With your mind, you'd make a smashing officer. It's too bad you will have missed it."

From "The Boy Who Dared" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

Related Words

• bang
• belt
• blast
• burst
• collide
• crack
• crash
• crush
• demolish
• fracture
• hit
• shatter
• slam
• trash