collide

verb

col·​lide kə-ˈlīd 

collided; colliding

intransitive verb

1

: to come together with solid or direct impact

The car collided with a tree.

Two helicopters collided.

2

: clash

colliding cultures

Science and religion collided in the court.

Synonyms of collide

• clash
• conflict

Examples of collide in a Sentence

Two football players collided on the field.

the candidate had a reputation as a maverick whose positions often collided with the party platform

Recent Examples on the Web

Rice was driving a Lamborghini on an expressway and was clocked at 119 mph when the car hit the center median wall and caused four other cars to collide with each other. — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 6 Nov. 2026

The trouble is that members of the two large groups, the slow and the fast, collide with bone-crushing regularity. — Justin Davidson, Curbed, 5 Nov. 2026

The photographs also revealed the boundary region where the solar plasma becomes so thin that its ions stop colliding. — IEEE Spectrum, 5 Nov. 2026

What ensues is a pas de deux in which lover and wife are forced to collide within the family’s grand London townhouse. — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 4 Nov. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin collidere, from com- + laedere to injure by striking

First Known Use

1646, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for collide

• abide
• allied
• applied
• aside
• astride
• azide
• backside
• bankside
• bastide
• bayside
• bedside
• belied

Kids Definition

collide

verb

col·​lide kə-ˈlīd 

collided; colliding

1

: to come together with solid impact

the football players collided

2

: clash entry 1 sense 2a

their different outlooks collided