bash

play

verb \ ˈbash \

Definition of bash

transitive verb

1 :to strike violently :hit; also :to injure or damage by striking :smash —often used with in

2 :to attack physically or verbally

media bashing

celebrity bashing

intransitive verb

:crash

—

basher

noun

— bash away British, informal

:to work hard at something

That is exactly what I tell myself as I bash away in the gym …
—Jay Rayner

— bash on British, informal

:to continue to work at something :carry on

… I'm a lot less sure about what I'm meant to be, or do, in a time of undeniable middle age. I guess I will just bash on as ever, and hope I don't appear too ridiculous as I do so.
—Becky Sheaves

— bash out British, informal

:to produce (something) quickly :bang out

Three years ago Piaggio disappointed enthusiasts by axing the retro Vespa's production. But Indian company LML continued to bash out copies that flew out of the dealers, especially in Italy …
—Harriet Ridley

— bash up chiefly British, informal

:to attack (someone) physically :to hit (someone) repeatedly

Umpires being lampooned or even bashed up [=beaten up] in schools, college and league cricket is hardly rare.
—Ayaz Memon

See bash defined for English-language learners

See bash defined for kids

Examples of bash in a Sentence

I bashed my arm against the door.
Someone bashed him over the head with a chair.
They tried to bash the door open.

Recent Examples of bash from the Web

Trump and his associates bashed Kasich for not attending the Republican National Convention in Cleveland last year.

— jessie balmert, Cincinnati.com, "VP Pence's false attack on Kasich continues Trump feud," 17 July 2017
During the campaign, Trump bashed China relentlessly as a trade predator and a bad actor militarily in the South China Sea.

— bill powell, MSNBC Newsweek, "Will Trump Stop the 10 Chinese Companies Supplying North Korea's Nuclear Program?," 13 July 2017
At this point, Hannity asks an off-topic question giving Trump a chance to bash the media.

— philip bump, Washington Post, "Assessing how ‘open’ and ‘transparent’ Donald Trump Jr. was in his Hannity appearance," 12 July 2017
This angle enables Fox to both dismiss the story's significance and to bash a Fox rival, CNN, which has covered the Russian connection aggressively.

— paul farhi, chicagotribune.com, "Analysis: Sean Hannity provides a hospitable TV forum for embattled Donald Trump Jr.," 11 July 2017
While Donald Trump has recently bashed CNN on Twitter, a new poll has found that more Americans actually trust the network more than the President.

— lisa marie segarra, Time, "More Americans Trust CNN Than Donald Trump, Poll Finds," 4 July 2017
And despite Spider-Man: Homecoming making so many smart choices, truly nothing can stop a superhero movie from having an overlong final fight that eventually devolves into two people bashing each other in low light.

— jordan hoffman, Popular Mechanics, "'Spider-Man: Homecoming' Makes Spidey Feel Fun and Fresh Again," 29 June 2017
That Mayor Ed Murray went out and recruited a labor-friendly Berkeley researcher to bash the UW economics study before it was even released doesn’t exactly suggest an open mind.

— danny westneat, The Seattle Times, "Real liberals wouldn’t be so defensive about UW minimum-wage research," 28 June 2017
On social media sometimes people bash me, but in real life people don't care.

— jake woolf, GQ, "Meet Sinon Loresca, the Gay Filipino Man Who Catwalked His Way to Fame," 23 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bash.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of bash

origin unknown

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1744

See Words from the same year

bash Synonyms

Synonyms

bang, hit, bump, collide, crash, impact, impinge, knock, ram, slam, smash, strike, swipe, thud

Related Words

bounce, carom, clunk, glance, rebound, ricochet, skim, skip; contact, land, touch; brush, graze, kiss, nudge, scrape, shave, sweep; bulldoze, jostle, muscle, press, push

Near Antonyms

miss, skirt

bash

noun

Definition of bash

1 :a forceful blow

2 :a festive social gathering :party

3 chiefly British :try, attempt

have a bash at it

See bash defined for English-language learners

Examples of bash in a Sentence

We threw her a birthday bash.
She gave me a bash on the head.

Recent Examples of bash from the Web

Held one week before Labor Day weekend, the bash is also more music-themed than any annual festival the village runs.

— mike isaacs, chicagotribune.com, "Backlot Bash going on two decades with start of 2017 event," 14 Aug. 2017
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana’s four-term former governor Edwin Edwards is having an ostentatious 90th birthday bash, with a $250-per-person price tag to attend.

— melinda deslatte, The Seattle Times, "Sold-out birthday bash for 90-year-old Louisiana ex-governor," 12 Aug. 2017
This year's costume bash will be inspired by New York artist Jeff Koons and proceeds will go to both the Naked Heart Foundation (which helps children with special needs) and amfAR (dedicated to AIDS research and a search for a cure).

— chrissy rutherford, Harper's BAZAAR, "Natalia Vodianova to Throw The Chicest Halloween Bash in NYC," 7 Aug. 2017
To celebrate its 85th year, the Festival of Arts will host an anniversary bash Aug. 13, with free admission to the art show all day.

— kathleen luppi, Daily Pilot, "Festival of Arts unveils its $10-million renovation," 5 July 2017
To celebrate, her parents Heather and Adam Benton threw a bash June 17 for Addyson’s sixth birthday at EnterTrainment Junction, with pizza, cake, presents, grandparents, relatives and friends.

— anne saker, Cincinnati.com, "Once a medical-marijuana refugee, Addyson Benton has come back to Ohio," 22 June 2017
And Spotify held the first of two bashes on the beach, with French rockers Phoenix entertaining the lucky delegates who turned up early enough to get in.

— lara o’reilly, WSJ, "CMO Today: Olympics Security Concerns; Publicis’ Awards Abstention; iPhone 10th Birthday," 21 June 2017
This year's bash has a world theme, featuring drumming, acrobatic feats and beastly creatures.

— carolina gusman, sandiegouniontribune.com, "San Diego Zoo Safari Park celebrates summer with global theme," 21 June 2017
Rooftop parties, backyard bashes, festivals in the park.

— mary schmich, chicagotribune.com, "13 rules for a better Chicago summer," 20 June 2017

Origin and Etymology of bash

noun derivative of ¹bash

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1805

See Words from the same year

bash Synonyms

Synonyms

bang, ¹blow, bat, beat, belt, biff, bop, box, buffet, bust, chop, clap, clip, clout, crack, cuff, dab, douse [British], fillip, hack, haymaker, hit, hook, knock, larrup [dialect], lash, lick, pelt, pick, plump, poke, pound, punch, rap, slam, slap, slug, smack, smash, sock, spank, stinger, stripe, stroke, swat, swipe, switch, thud, thump, thwack, wallop, welt, whack, wham, whop (also whap)

BASH Defined for English Language Learners

bash

play

verb

Definition of bash for English Language Learners

: to cause or allow (something, such as part of your body) to hit something very hard or forcefully
: to hit (someone or something) very hard or forcefully
: to hurt or damage (something) by hitting or beating