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

In June, two kids collided with a school bus, resulting in the death of a 12-year-old girl. — Mike Sullivan, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026

In the March meeting, Carbon also addressed an incident from October, where two Amazon drones collided with a crane in Tolleson, Arizona. — Annie Palmer, CNBC, 19 Aug. 2026

No major injuries were reported, but a short time later the Jeep collided head on with a car occupied by four people. — Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Aug. 2026

At sufficient scale, controlling inflation begins to collide with keeping the sovereign solvent and the Treasury market functional. — Dave Birnbaum, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 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