crash

1 of 4

verb

crashed; crashing; crashes

transitive verb

1
a
: to break violently and noisily : smash
b
: to damage (an airplane) in landing
2
a
: to cause to make a loud noise
crash the cymbals together
b
: to force (one's way) through with loud crashing noises
3
: to enter or attend without invitation or without paying
crash the party
4
: to move toward aggressively (as in fighting for a rebound)
basketball players crashing the boards
5
: to cause (a computer system, component, or program) to crash

intransitive verb

1
a
: to break or go to pieces with or as if with violence and noise
b
: to fall, land, or hit with destructive force
c
: to decline suddenly and steeply
d
of a computer system, component, or program : to suffer a sudden major failure usually with attendant loss of data
2
: to make a smashing noise
thunder crashing overhead
3
: to move or force one's way with or as if with a crash
crashes into the room
4
slang : to experience the aftereffects (such as fatigue, irritability, headache, or depression) of a physiologically or psychologically active substance
Prolonged use of cocaine—repeatedly cycles of euphoria, crashing, and craving—probably brings about changes in the postsynaptic neurons …Robert Wilbur
Crashing from a sugar high never helped anyone remain awake all night.Justin Rocket Silverman
5
informal
a
: to go to bed or fall asleep
also : to reside temporarily : stay
crashing with friends for a few days
b
: to lose energy : to become very fatigued
It happens every afternoon like clockwork … I'm crashing, my body says. I need salt. Sugar. Fat. Now.James Oseland
crasher noun

crash

2 of 4

noun (1)

1
: a loud sound (as of things smashing)
a crash of thunder
2
a
: a breaking to pieces by or as if by collision
b
: an instance of crashing
a plane crash
a system crash
3
: a sudden decline (as of a population) or failure (as of a business)
a stock market crash
4
informal : the sudden, powerful occurrence of adverse aftereffects (such as fatigue, irritability, headache, or depression) following the use of a physiologically or psychologically active substance
… the jitters, euphoria and eventual crash that come after caffeine or amphetamines.Graham Lawton
When it comes to snacks, bars can have a nutritional edge over candy. Many are lower in fat and sugars. And some bars might be less likely to cause sugar rushes followed by crashes.Consumer Reports

crash

3 of 4

adjective

: marked by a concerted effort and effected in the shortest possible time especially to meet emergency conditions
a crash renovation program

crash

4 of 4

noun (2)

: a coarse fabric used for draperies, toweling, and clothing and for strengthening joints of cased-in books

Examples of crash in a Sentence

Verb She crashed the car into a tree, but no one was hurt. He has crashed two cars, a truck, and a motorcycle. We listened to the waves crashing against the shore. The stuntman crashed through the window on a motorcycle. The walls crashed down around them. The books crashed to the floor. The cymbals crashed and the trumpets blew. Thunder crashed as the rain started to pour. He crashed the cymbals together. Noun (1) the fiery crash of two jumbo jet airplanes in midair refused to be discouraged by the crash of her hairdressing business the crash of cymbals a story about the crash of two alien cultures and the unfortunate consequences
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
More than two months after a flawed update from CrowdStrike Holdings set off a IT outage — crashing millions of Windows computers, grounding planes and halting bank and other business operations around the globe — a high-level executive from the company is set to deliver an apology on Capitol Hill. Kate Gibson, CBS News, 24 Sep. 2024 Carlos Sainz crashed out in Q3, triggering a red flag that would give most drivers only a single lap to qualify. Rob Reed, Forbes, 23 Sep. 2024 Yamagata University Rover landers and spacecraft alike could be fitted with highly dexterous arms to grab, hook, or even assemble human habitats on the moon, or make repairs to the International Space Station (at least until SpaceX crashes the ISS into Earth). New Atlas, 23 Sep. 2024 The vehicle fled the scene but crashed a few blocks later on North Seventh Street and West Locust Street, near the bridge over Interstate 43. Drake Bentley, Journal Sentinel, 23 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for crash 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'crash.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English crasschen

Noun (2)

probably from Russian krashenina colored linen

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun (1)

1574, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1945, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1812, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of crash was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near crash

Cite this Entry

“Crash.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crash. Accessed 4 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

crash

1 of 4 verb
1
a
: to break with violence and much noise : smash
b
: to damage (an airplane) in landing
2
a
: to make or cause to make a loud noise
crash cymbals together
waves crashing on the shore
b
: to move or force a way roughly or with loud crashing noises
we went crashing through the underbrush
3
: to enter or attend without an invitation or without paying
crash a party
tried to crash the gates
4
: to go bad or go out of order suddenly
the computer system crashed
5
informal : to go to bed or fall asleep
also : to stay for a short time
crashing with friends for the week
crasher noun

crash

2 of 4 noun
1
: a loud sound (as of things smashing)
2
a
: a breaking to pieces by or as if by hitting something : collision, smashup
b
: an instance of crashing
was hurt in the crash
a computer crash
3
: a sudden weakening or failure (as of a business or prices)
a stock-market crash

crash

3 of 4 adjective
: designed to do what it is supposed to do in a big hurry
a crash program
went on a crash diet

crash

4 of 4 noun
: a coarse fabric used for draperies and clothing
Etymology

Verb

Middle English crasschen "crash"

Noun

probably from Russian krashenina "colored linen"

More from Merriam-Webster on crash

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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