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

Those keeping up with season three saw this coming: Beth's new gig as a dance teacher is clashing with Randall's city councilman duties, and their family is paying the price. — Christopher Rosa, Glamour, "We Need to Talk About What Happened to Beth on Last Night's This Is Us," 27 Mar. 2019 The newlyweds put in an appearance at the garden party as their royal tour of Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, and Tonga clashed with some of Prince Charles' birthday celebrations in October. — Amy Mackelden, Harper's BAZAAR, "Meghan Markle Stuns in Outtakes from Prince Charles' Birthday Portraits," 18 Nov. 2018 Under the power-sharing arrangement Machar will once again be Kiir's deputy — an arrangement that sparked the civil war in December 2013 when supporters of the two men clashed. — Sam Mednick, Fox News, "UN condemns 'direct attack' on peacekeepers in South Sudan," 15 Sep. 2018 And as often as Cousins has clashed with coaches, there have been notable exceptions. — Bruce Jenkins, SFChronicle.com, "DeMarcus Cousins and the Warriors: A temporary, fascinating spectacle," 3 July 2018 Cut-outs of Warren Buffett’s face, promoting Yahoo Finance’s recent live coverage of the Berkshire Hathaway’s annual meeting, seem to be everywhere, the octogenarian’s likeness clashing with the whimsical startup accoutrements. — Erin Griffith, WIRED, "Can Verizon Build a Strong Brand From the Bones of Yahoo and AOL?," 15 June 2018 Racially motivated attacks or those on LGBT fans combine with concerns over the safety of English supporters after Russian hooligans caused trouble during the 2016 European Championship in France, clashing with rival supporters. — Euan Mckirdy, CNN, "World Cup 2018: Russian lawmaker warns against sex with foreigners," 14 June 2018 The Labor Department’s household survey clashed with payroll numbers and showed employment grew 255,000 while unemployment dipped to 3.8% from 4% in January. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "February Jobs Scare," 8 Mar. 2019 The tone of Mattis’s resignation letter clashed with Trump’s own announcement, which came shortly before the letter was released. — Alex Ward, Vox, "James Mattis, the last “adult” in the Trump administration, resigns as defense secretary," 20 Dec. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The case is a high-stakes clash between states that want a piece of the action - New Jersey is supported by 18 other states - and the NCAA, the National Football League, Major League Baseball and other professional sports leagues. — Josh Katzenstein, NOLA.com, "Saints sign rookie fullback Ryan Yurachek after tryout," 14 May 2018 There was one clash that Buffett and Munger didn’t avoid this year. — Noah Buhayar, Bloomberg.com, "Buffett Skirts Controversy as Politics Intrude on His Omaha Bash," 6 May 2018 The move is the latest clash between the League and 5 Star Movement and Italy’s establishment, including civil servants, mainstream media and centrist politicians, whom the now-dominant populist coalition accuse of having failed Italy. — Giovanni Legorano, WSJ, "Italy’s Populist Government Takes Aim at Central Bank," 10 Feb. 2019 The case was a clash between state efforts to provide women with facts about their medical options and First Amendment rulings that place limits on the government’s ability to compel people to say things at odds with their beliefs. — Adam Liptak, New York Times, "Supreme Court Backs Anti-Abortion Pregnancy Centers in Free Speech Case," 26 June 2018 Friday’s 155-minute match was a clash of styles, as Andre Saleh looked to set up winners with his big forehand while Austin Di Giulio played a lot of defensive tennis behind the baseline. — Matt Szabo, latimes.com, "Austin Di Giulio fights back to beat Andre Saleh in all-Newport match," 23 June 2018 The differences between them are greater than the similarities, except for that in both there are clashes going on. — Adam Rathe, Town & Country, "The Most Exciting Part of Starring in Succession," 4 June 2018 Palestinians held a general strike, and there were clashes between Palestinians and Israeli soldiers. — Alexia Underwood, Vox, "The controversial US Jerusalem embassy opening, explained," 14 May 2018 Chip and Joanna have admitted to their differences in the past, and even fans of the series have seen the serious designer and goofy contractor clash, but the couple relies on their faith and connection to stay close. — Sara Rodrigues, House Beautiful, "Chip and Joanna Gaineses' Love Story Is Better Than The Notebook," 19 Apr. 2019

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.