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
Kate Plummer, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Oct. 2025
Ancient enemies and modern mythic forces will collide as love and war clash in a battle for the soul of humanity — and for Inanna herself.
—Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2025
Jeff Spry, Space.com, 1 Oct. 2025
The spectacle underscored how far the fight had veered from policy substance into a broader clash of political cultures and personalities.
—Nik Popli, Time, 1 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clash
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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
Speaking hours before the shutdown went into effect, Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, clashed with CNN's Kaitlan Collins about the Democrats' funding proposal.
—Kate Plummer, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Oct. 2025
Ancient enemies and modern mythic forces will collide as love and war clash in a battle for the soul of humanity — and for Inanna herself.
—Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2025
Noun
Additional revelations hint of Kiri's evolving powers, the menacing Quaritch bonding with Varang to help defeat the Na'vi, a spectacular air/sea clash between the Ash People, the RDA, and the Na’vi, and Spider threatening to kill someone offscreen.
—Jeff Spry, Space.com, 1 Oct. 2025
The spectacle underscored how far the fight had veered from policy substance into a broader clash of political cultures and personalities.
—Nik Popli, Time, 1 Oct. 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 6 Oct. 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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