collide

verb

col·​lide kə-ˈlīd 

collided; colliding

intransitive verb

1

: to come together with solid or direct impact

The car collided with a tree.

Two helicopters collided.

2

: clash

colliding cultures

Science and religion collided in the court.

Synonyms of collide

• clash
• conflict

Examples of collide in a Sentence

Two football players collided on the field.

the candidate had a reputation as a maverick whose positions often collided with the party platform

Recent Examples on the Web

The film explores the contradictions of a Bulgarian town pulled into Europe’s shifting geopolitical order, where arms production for Ukraine’s frontlines collides with enduring ties to Russia, personal convictions, and the everyday need to survive. — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026

Cooler white dwarfs with mixed hydrogen and helium atmospheres often would glow cyan or pale blue, caused as hydrogen molecules collide with helium atoms in their dense atmospheres. — Robert Lea, Space.com, 15 Oct. 2026

This cyan-pale blue is caused by hydrogen molecules colliding with helium atoms inside their ultra-dense atmospheres. — Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 15 Oct. 2026

The boats collided about 14 miles southwest of mile marker 41, in a remote area between Interstate 75 and Tamiami Trail, near the Miccosukee Indian Reservation. — Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin collidere, from com- + laedere to injure by striking

First Known Use

1646, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for collide

• abide
• allied
• applied
• aside
• astride
• azide
• backside
• bankside
• bastide
• bayside
• bedside
• belied

Kids Definition

collide

verb

col·​lide kə-ˈlīd 

collided; colliding

1

: to come together with solid impact

the football players collided

2

: clash entry 1 sense 2a

their different outlooks collided