crash

verb

ˈkrash 

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

e

sports : to suffer a disqualifying loss

… watching the Winnipeg Blue Bombers … crash in the playoffs …

—Paul Friesen

—usually used with out

Three leading Americans crashed out of the British Amateur Golf Championship in the first round …

—United Press International

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—repeated 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

6

slang : to react suddenly with extreme distress or anger : to have a crashout

… I get it, but you crashing over it is what they want.

—@basrjim, on X, formerly Twitter

—usually used with out

I'm not vegetarian … but the number of people in the comments crashing out over a recipe for a veggie patty is just silly.

—Izzy Renman, on Facebook

Note: Usage of this sense originated in African American English and has since become widespread.

crasher noun

Synonyms of crash

• smash
• shatter

Examples of crash in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples on the Web

The Rockies’ Kyle Karros hit an opposite-field line drive that carried to the right-field warning track, but Lee tracked down the potential extra-base hit on the run, then crashed into the chain-link portion of the fence. —Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 30 May 2026

Needless to say when the club crashed out of the gate to such an extreme degree, the backlash among fans was intense. —Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 30 May 2026

Five people, including two children, were killed when a bus crashed into multiple vehicles in a work zone on Interstate 95 in in Virginia early Friday, authorities said. —Dennis Romero, NBC news, 29 May 2026

Pope’s lawsuit also contains an allegation about a 2024 incident in which Dustman allegedly crashed his city patrol vehicle into two mailboxes while he was intoxicated. —Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 29 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English crasschen

First Known Use

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

Phrases Containing crash

• crash and burn
• crash barrier
• crash cart
• crash course
• crash diet
• crash dive
• crash helmet
• crash-land
• crash out
• crash pad
• crash test dummy
• pre-crash

Rhymes for crash

• ash
• bash
• brash
• cache
• cash
• clash
• dash
• flash
• gash
• hash
• lash
• mash

Kids Definition

crash

1 of 4 verb

ˈkrash 

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

Middle English crasschen "crash"

probably from Russian krashenina "colored linen"