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
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
Lauren Peller, ABC News, 16 Dec. 2025
The Wall of Death, incidentally, involves splitting the crowd down the middle, creating a channel of space, and then having the two sides charge across it like clashing medieval armies.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 16 Dec. 2025
Robert Birsel, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2025
Mercury’s clash with Uranus encourages you to quit fighting the inevitable.
—Usa Today, USA Today, 10 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clash
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show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Verb
Moderates in Johnson's party clashed with him behind closed doors later Tuesday afternoon, questioning the speaker not only on his intent to allow the COVID-era subsidies for health care premiums to expire, but also the party's messaging as lawmakers brace for the backlash from their constituents.
—Lauren Peller, ABC News, 16 Dec. 2025
The Wall of Death, incidentally, involves splitting the crowd down the middle, creating a channel of space, and then having the two sides charge across it like clashing medieval armies.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 16 Dec. 2025
Noun
Thailand launched airstrikes on Cambodian military positions on Monday after a clash the previous day in which one Thai soldier was killed and eight were wounded.
—Robert Birsel, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2025
Mercury’s clash with Uranus encourages you to quit fighting the inevitable.
—Usa Today, USA Today, 10 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clash
Cite this Entry
“Clash.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clash. Accessed 18 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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