clashed; clashing; clashes
1
: to make a clash
cymbals clashed
2
: to come into conflict
where ignorant armies clash by night—
Matthew Arnold
Matthew Arnold
also
: to be incompatible
the colors clashed
: to cause to clash
clasher
noun
1
: a noisy usually metallic sound of collision
2
a
: a hostile encounter : skirmish
b
: a sharp conflict
a clash of opinions
Synonyms
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 WebWill McDuffie, ABC News, 30 Nov. 2023
Attorneys for Hall & Oates members Daryl Hall and John Oates clashed in a Nashville courtroom Thursday during the first showdown in an increasingly bitter lawsuit between the longtime musical partners.
—Bill Donahue, Billboard, 30 Nov. 2023
He’s clashed with the founders of some of his most prominent investments, including Will Shu, the founder of Deliveroo that Hoxton invested $850,000 in at the seed stage and listed with a $10.4 billion valuation in 2021.
—Rashi Shrivastava, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2023
Throughout production, Bernstein clashed with other members of the creative team—including the musical’s 27-year-old lyricist, Stephen Sondheim—who tried to tone down his sweeping score.
—Ellen Wexler, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Nov. 2023
Fighting for control of trade routes and resources, the two foes famously clashed in the 13th century B.C.E. at the Battle of Kadesh, which concluded with the signing of what's widely considered the world's first international peace treaty.
—Sean Mowbray, Discover Magazine, 21 Nov. 2023
However, many reports since have pinned the firing on an internal culture clash between Altman and OpenAI Chief Scientist Sutskever, with Sutskever annoyed at Altman pushing to launch GPTs when Sutskever is concerned about a future when autonomous AI may become potentially dangerous.
—Benj Edwards, Ars Technica, 20 Nov. 2023
One propulsive cut takes us from a deaf man skating into a flying airplane seen from below and back to his skateboard clashing with empty beer bottles.
—Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 16 Nov. 2023
According to reports, Altman and the previous OpenAI board clashed over his desire to expand OpenAI’s for-profit commercial prospects, which the board members felt was at odds with the goal of ensuring AI safety.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 22 Nov. 2023
Noah Bierman, Los Angeles Times, 5 Dec. 2023
It is saturated by the N.F.L.’s own politics, which play down the consequences of football’s gladiatorial clashes while enshrining them as civic rites.
—Jody Rosen, New York Times, 2 Dec. 2023
But in TikTok’s case, the scrutiny is greater: For the last few years, the company has found itself under the crosshairs of another geopolitical clash, between the U.S. and China.
—Michal Lev-Ram, Fortune, 30 Nov. 2023
Now with any border dispute, there is a risk of small clashes and escalation that needs to be taken into account.
—Elias Ferrer Breda, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023
The crowd listened a succession of speakers and marched around in front of station, but as of 8 p.m., there had been no significant clashes with the scores of police officers on the scene.
—Ellie Silverman, Washington Post, 17 Nov. 2023
But at the same time, another clash is happening -- one using tweets and shares.
—Desiree Adib, ABC News, 24 Nov. 2023
Naturally, this reunion stirs up a bubbling pot of unresolved tensions, including yet another clash between Santana (Naya Rivera) and Quinn (Dianna Agron).
—Shay Spence, Peoplemag, 22 Nov. 2023
The clash among delegates and protesters over the death and destruction in Israel and Gaza has angered young voters in particular.
—Benjamin Oreskes, Los Angeles Times, 19 Nov. 2023
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Verb
The two governors clashed on major issues, with 2024 in the background.
—Will McDuffie, ABC News, 30 Nov. 2023
Attorneys for Hall & Oates members Daryl Hall and John Oates clashed in a Nashville courtroom Thursday during the first showdown in an increasingly bitter lawsuit between the longtime musical partners.
—Bill Donahue, Billboard, 30 Nov. 2023
He’s clashed with the founders of some of his most prominent investments, including Will Shu, the founder of Deliveroo that Hoxton invested $850,000 in at the seed stage and listed with a $10.4 billion valuation in 2021.
—Rashi Shrivastava, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2023
Throughout production, Bernstein clashed with other members of the creative team—including the musical’s 27-year-old lyricist, Stephen Sondheim—who tried to tone down his sweeping score.
—Ellen Wexler, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Nov. 2023
Fighting for control of trade routes and resources, the two foes famously clashed in the 13th century B.C.E. at the Battle of Kadesh, which concluded with the signing of what's widely considered the world's first international peace treaty.
—Sean Mowbray, Discover Magazine, 21 Nov. 2023
However, many reports since have pinned the firing on an internal culture clash between Altman and OpenAI Chief Scientist Sutskever, with Sutskever annoyed at Altman pushing to launch GPTs when Sutskever is concerned about a future when autonomous AI may become potentially dangerous.
—Benj Edwards, Ars Technica, 20 Nov. 2023
One propulsive cut takes us from a deaf man skating into a flying airplane seen from below and back to his skateboard clashing with empty beer bottles.
—Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 16 Nov. 2023
According to reports, Altman and the previous OpenAI board clashed over his desire to expand OpenAI’s for-profit commercial prospects, which the board members felt was at odds with the goal of ensuring AI safety.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 22 Nov. 2023
Noun
Twitter Instagram Email Facebook Noah Bierman is an enterprise reporter focusing on clashes between red and blue states in the Washington bureau for the Los Angeles Times.
—Noah Bierman, Los Angeles Times, 5 Dec. 2023
It is saturated by the N.F.L.’s own politics, which play down the consequences of football’s gladiatorial clashes while enshrining them as civic rites.
—Jody Rosen, New York Times, 2 Dec. 2023
But in TikTok’s case, the scrutiny is greater: For the last few years, the company has found itself under the crosshairs of another geopolitical clash, between the U.S. and China.
—Michal Lev-Ram, Fortune, 30 Nov. 2023
Now with any border dispute, there is a risk of small clashes and escalation that needs to be taken into account.
—Elias Ferrer Breda, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023
The crowd listened a succession of speakers and marched around in front of station, but as of 8 p.m., there had been no significant clashes with the scores of police officers on the scene.
—Ellie Silverman, Washington Post, 17 Nov. 2023
But at the same time, another clash is happening -- one using tweets and shares.
—Desiree Adib, ABC News, 24 Nov. 2023
Naturally, this reunion stirs up a bubbling pot of unresolved tensions, including yet another clash between Santana (Naya Rivera) and Quinn (Dianna Agron).
—Shay Spence, Peoplemag, 22 Nov. 2023
The clash among delegates and protesters over the death and destruction in Israel and Gaza has angered young voters in particular.
—Benjamin Oreskes, Los Angeles Times, 19 Nov. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'clash.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Verb
imitative
First Known Use
Verb
circa 1500, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1
Noun
1513, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing clash
Articles Related to clash
Dictionary Entries Near clash
Cite this Entry
“Clash.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clash. Accessed 11 Dec. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
clash
1 of 2 verb1
: to make a clash
clashing cymbals
2
a
: to come into conflict
pickets clashed with the police
b
: to not match well
our ideas clashed
some colors clash
clasher
noun
clash
2 of 2 noun1
: a loud sharp sound usually of metal striking metal
the clash of swords
2
: a sharp fight or strong disagreement
More from Merriam-Webster on clash
Nglish: Translation of clash for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of clash for Arabic Speakers
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