bashed; bashing; bashes
Synonyms 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
basher noun

bash

2 of 2

noun

1
: a forceful blow
2
: a festive social gathering : party
3
chiefly British : try, attempt
have a bash at it

Examples of bash in a Sentence

Verb I bashed my arm against the door. Someone bashed him over the head with a chair. They tried to bash the door open. Noun We threw her a birthday bash. She gave me a bash on the head.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
During this conversation, Adam and Charles hear a creaking sound on the porch that ends up being Cathy with her head bashed in and gain another diversion point in their relationship. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026 Trump said, then took a detour to bash the practice of cashless bail, wondering aloud if that were part of the problem. — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 28 Sep. 2026
Noun
But for a few hours every year, the VMA bash is when MTV decides to cosplay as MTV for a night—and the Nineties glow of this year’s model made that clearer than ever. — Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 28 Sep. 2026 The singer was throwing a bash to unveil his second collection for Dondup, where he was named creative director last May. — Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 27 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for bash

Word History

Etymology

Verb

origin unknown

Noun

noun derivative of bash entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

1744, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

1805, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of bash was in 1744

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bash.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bash. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

Kids Definition

bash

verb
ˈbash
1
: to strike violently : beat
2
: to smash by a blow
3
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!