clash

verb

\ˈklash

clashed; clashing; clashes

Definition of clash

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : to make a clash cymbals clashed

2 : to come into conflict where ignorant armies clash by night— Matthew Arnold also : to be incompatible the colors clashed

transitive verb

: to cause to clash

clash

noun

Definition of clash (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : a noisy usually metallic sound of collision

2a : a hostile encounter : skirmish

b : a sharp conflict a clash of opinions

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Examples of clash in a Sentence

Verb

Police and protesters clashed yesterday. The sofa and the chair clash. She ended the song by clashing the cymbals.

Noun

Hundreds were killed in ethnic clashes in the region last month. a clash between rival gangs that resulted in some serious injuries

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Trump’s administration has clashed with officials in New York and New Jersey over a funding plan for the tunnel project. — David Klepper, The Seattle Times, "Cuomo to meet with Trump to discuss new train tunnel," 27 Nov. 2018 Gab has repeatedly clashed with major technology platforms over concerns about the extremist content on the site. — Timothy B. Lee, Ars Technica, "Gab forced offline over apparent tie to Pittsburgh synagogue shooter," 29 Oct. 2018 The delicacy of these narratives may have clashed with the gritty realism of the 1970s and the muscular posh of the 1980s, but that was irrelevant to Redford. — Marley Marius, Vogue, "An Ode to Robert Redford, on What May Be His Retirement From Acting," 25 Sep. 2018 In California, the gang has clashed with rival Nortenos gang members. — Fox News, "US attorney: MS-13 gang terrorized California farm town," 31 Aug. 2018 D'Antoni had previously clashed with Anthony over his role with the Knicks, as the coach wanted him to shift from small forward to power forward. — Des Bieler, chicagotribune.com, "Carmelo Anthony reportedly talking to Rockets and Heat as he gets set to leave Thunder," 11 July 2018 Trump has also clashed with allies over his decisions to withdraw the United States from the Iran nuclear deal and the Paris climate accord and, more recently, by imposing heavy tariffs that have prompted trade wars. — Noah Bierman, latimes.com, "Trump heads to Europe amid frayed alliances, and worries about his tilt to Putin," 9 July 2018 With its focus on changing attitudes and eradicating subtle prejudices, this movement has also clashed with one of liberalism’s most fundamental values: freedom of speech. — Cathy Young, BostonGlobe.com, "Is liberal democracy failing? No, it’s a victim of its own success," 8 July 2018 Trump has previously clashed with Khan on Twitter, criticizing the mayor’s response to a deadly terrorist attack in London last June and using it to justify his travel ban on several Muslim-majority countries. — Joseph Hincks, Time, "A Giant Inflatable 'Trump Baby' Will Fly Above London During the U.S. President's Visit," 6 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The killings followed clashes between police and followers of the tribal king, who later was arrested and charged along with hundreds of supporters. — Rodney Muhumuza, The Seattle Times, "Uganda faces pressure to probe 2016 massacre by military," 27 Nov. 2018 What -- and what happens to the clashes between police and, well, civil society, and some -- several ethnic groups? — Alex Pappas, Fox News, "Putin denies having dirt on Trump, calls meddling charge 'utterly ridiculous' in Fox News interview," 2 Oct. 2018 The Court will be gravely damaged by inevitable clashes between the conservative majority and progressive politicians once Democrats regain power. — Daniel Epps, Vox, "A simple plan for saving the Supreme Court," 6 Sep. 2018 This isn’t even the first book depicting lunar clashes between China and the US this year — David Pedreira’s novel Gunpowder Moon imagines geopolitical pawn pieces maneuvering around one another as the crew of a mining outfit try to avert war. — Andrew Liptak, The Verge, "Red Moon is a novel full of fascinating ideas that never come together," 3 Nov. 2018 The march ended outside the Legislative Assembly with some clashes between protesters and police. — Javier Cordoba, Fox News, "Costa Rica shaken by rare and unruly unrest, labor strike," 14 Sep. 2018 But at Kleiner Perkins, there were cultural clashes between the two squads. — Theodore Schleifer, Recode, "Mary Meeker, the legendary internet analyst, is leaving Kleiner Perkins," 14 Sep. 2018 The case was central in a clash between Orange-Osceola State Attorney Aramis Ayala and Gov. Rick Scott after Ayala initially refused to pursue the death penalty for Mapp. — Marco Santana, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Murder case that saw Aramis Ayala, Rick Scott clash central to insurance suit," 6 July 2018 The series is filled with culture clashes and awkward interactions. — New York Times, "What’s on TV Thursday: ‘The Big Bang Theory’ and ‘Safe’," 10 May 2018

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