crash course

noun

Updated on: 17 Apr 2018

: a rapid and intense course of study; also : an experience that resembles such a course

has been given a crash course in diplomacy in his first weeks in office

See crash course defined for English-language learners

Examples of crash course in a Sentence

Before her trip, she took a crash course in Russian culture and history at the local university.

Recent Examples of crash course from the Web

One of the top closers in the game, Holland was a victim of the ice-age free-agent market and didn't accept a deal until after the season began, and certainly didn't look ready after a crash course in Florida.

— tom haudricourt, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "The late innings continue to be an adventure for Brewers but this time they made it work," 9 Apr. 2018
Meanwhile, inside the bank, Easley was getting a crash course in how TV news gets made.

— aaron gell, Longreads, "Did Brian Easley Have to Die?," 9 Apr. 2018
Perhaps Ibrahimovic can get a crash course in all things Sigi from countryman Freddie Ljungberg, who played under the manager for a season and a half with the Seattle Sounders.

— avi creditor, SI.com, "Pressing Questions for Zlatan Ibrahimovic's Move to the LA Galaxy," 23 Mar. 2018
In an unprecedented move in a federal lawsuit, Alsup presided over a crash course in climate science with a single student: himself.

— warren cornwall, Science | AAAS, "In a San Francisco court room, climate science gets its day on the docket," 22 Mar. 2018
The past few months have been like a crash course in politics.

— jaclyn corin, Seventeen, "I Helped Organize the “March For Our Lives” Because There Is Strength In Numbers," 21 Mar. 2018
Duck into the museum for a crash course on the region’s history.

— kristine hansen, Vogue, "Even Non-Skiers Can Find Bliss in the Austrian Alps," 8 Mar. 2018
The Beginner's Guide to Blake Bortles Brett Carlsen/Getty Images A crash course in Bortlesology from Drew Magary, the world's foremost Blake Bortles expert.

— drew magary, GQ, "The Beginner's Guide to Blake Bortles," 19 Jan. 2018
The 2005 season was the last great two-horse race in college basketball, with Carolina and Illinois on a crash course for the final for months.

— chris chase, For The Win, "The last 25 NCAA tournament champions, ranked," 27 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'crash course.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.