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
Alec Lewis, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2026
John Phelan clashed with Hegseth and other senior officials over efforts to revive US shipbuilding.
—Semafor Events, semafor.com, 24 Apr. 2026
Mark Carey, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2026
The dog-waste donnybrook was similar to another recent clash in Brooklyn that saw a 75-year-old grandmother jumped and beaten for complaining that a dog walker was not cleaning up the pooch’s poop.
—Kerry Burke, New York Daily News, 25 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for clash
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Verb
But that clashed with the team’s offseason strategy.
—Alec Lewis, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2026
John Phelan clashed with Hegseth and other senior officials over efforts to revive US shipbuilding.
—Semafor Events, semafor.com, 24 Apr. 2026
Noun
City will have one eye on clinching the FA Cup trophy for the third time in eight years, while Arsenal’s Champions League semi-final clashes with Atletico Madrid will take plenty out of them physically and mentally.
—Mark Carey, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2026
The dog-waste donnybrook was similar to another recent clash in Brooklyn that saw a 75-year-old grandmother jumped and beaten for complaining that a dog walker was not cleaning up the pooch’s poop.
—Kerry Burke, New York Daily News, 25 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for clash
Cite this Entry
“Clash.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clash. Accessed 29 Apr. 2026.
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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