smashed; smashing; smashes
1
: to break or crush by violence
2
a
: to drive or throw violently especially with a shattering or battering effect
also
: to effect in this way
b
: to hit violently : batter
c(1)
: to hit (something, such as a tennis ball) with a hard overhand stroke
(2)
: to drive (a ball) with a forceful stroke
3
: to destroy utterly : wreck
1
: to move or become propelled with violence or crashing effect
smashed into a tree
2
: to become wrecked
3
: to go to pieces suddenly under collision or pressure
smasher
noun
: being a smash : outstanding
a smash hit
Synonyms
Examples of smash in a Sentence
Noun
The new movie is a smash.
She was a smash at the party.
His new song promises to be a smash hit.
The vase fell to the ground with a loud smash.
She hit an overhand smash that won the match.
Verb
He smashed the vase with a hammer.
The ball smashed the window.
The vase fell and smashed to pieces.
He smashed into the wall.
She smashed the ball deep into the opposite corner.
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Recent Examples on the Web
Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 21 Nov. 2023
Essentially, their smash hit, Desert Island Duo, got a sultry makeover, adding shimmer to the OG.
—Celia Shatzman, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023
Plus, the new Taylor Swift movie has been a smash hit and is helping to revive theaters and malls—both commercial real estate mainstays that tanked during the pandemic.
—Bysydney Lake, Fortune, 10 Nov. 2023
Lipa hasn’t released an album since 2020’s smash hit Future Nostalgia, but she’s rarely left the spotlight in the time since.
—Spin Staff, SPIN, 9 Nov. 2023
South Korea Netflix had an unexpected smash hit on its hands with Squid Game in 2021, which, with over 111 million viewers, became the platform’s biggest series launch ever upon its release.
—Rachel Desantis, Peoplemag, 8 Nov. 2023
The smash was written by Wallen with fellow BMI signatories Ernest Keith Smith and Charlie Handsome, plus an ASCAP member, Ashley Gorley.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 8 Nov. 2023
Why is there so much hype over GTA VI?
GTA VI's predecessor, GTA V, was a smash hit, racking up sales of more than 185 million copies internationally in the 10 years since its release, The Verge reported.
—Elizabeth Napolitano, CBS News, 8 Nov. 2023
Fresh off his scene-stealing turn as Ken in Greta Gerwig's smash summer hit Barbie, Ryan Gosling takes on a different kind of iconic role as a stunt man who must find a missing movie star in The Fall Guy.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 2 Nov. 2023
Sahil Kapur, NBC News, 22 Nov. 2023
The high followed a similar record smashed at Coachella in the U.S., where BLACKPINK became the first Asian and first all-female group to headline, according to The Guardian.
—Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 21 Nov. 2023
One of them smashed the glass front door with a hammer, running in to grab a print from an easel: a $100,000 lithograph by Marc Chagall.
After removing the work from the gallery, the thieves carried it outside into the rain, where a Honda Accord was waiting.
—Teresa Nowakowski, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Nov. 2023
This smashes every indenture that binds a Negro child other than as a white child should be bound!
—Anna Deavere Smith, The Atlantic, 13 Nov. 2023
The men smashed residents’ cellphones so no one could document the beatings that followed.
—Louisa Loveluck, Washington Post, 9 Nov. 2023
In Search of Closure: After a romantic or platonic breakup, these people turned to hexing spells, smashing plates and erasing all traces of their exes from their digital life.
—Vanessa Friedman, New York Times, 7 Nov. 2023
Over the past 18 months, Wise Sons Jewish Delicatessen, located less than a block from Sobre Mesa in downtown Oakland, has seen its doors smashed seven times, said Jeff Weinstein, chief executive of the company.
—Tim Carman, Washington Post, 10 Nov. 2023
To make pie, pumpkins are smashed, have their seeds removed and then are strained and mushed into a puree.
—Abby Hamblin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Nov. 2023
Keith Langston, Peoplemag, 23 Nov. 2023
Armed with little resources and facing heavy losses, the musicians must unite to make their smash debut.
—Caroline Brew, Variety, 30 Oct. 2023
From Depp's continued work with the prolific director, to Winona Ryder's role in the smash Netflix hit, Stranger Things, here is what the cast of Edward Scissorhands is up to today!
—Alexandra Schonfeld, Peoplemag, 25 Oct. 2023
This is a smash spot for Walker, who is going against a Cardinals run defense allowing 4.5 yards per carry, an average of 144.3 total yards and nine total TDs in six games.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Oct. 2023
Few things in music are more daunting than following up a smash debut album, but Olivia Rodrigo has pulled off that feat with Guts.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 12 Sep. 2023
This is a smash spot for Etienne after the Jaguars’ offense struggled last week against the Chiefs in their home opener.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Sep. 2023
The famous 1973 concert, beamed around the world to a global audience, gets a lavish reissue in the wake of the smash success of Baz Luhrmann’s ‘Elvis.’
— Creative Artists Agency to lay off 60 people as strikes drag on.
—Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2023
And one final note about flipping: Resist the urge to tap the pancake with the spatula after flipping it — this isn’t a smash burger!
—Anita L. Arambula, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 June 2023
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Noun
Couple that with two back-to-back live performances that flaunt her impressive dance skills and you’re left with a good old fashioned pure pop smash.
—Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 21 Nov. 2023
Essentially, their smash hit, Desert Island Duo, got a sultry makeover, adding shimmer to the OG.
—Celia Shatzman, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023
Plus, the new Taylor Swift movie has been a smash hit and is helping to revive theaters and malls—both commercial real estate mainstays that tanked during the pandemic.
—Bysydney Lake, Fortune, 10 Nov. 2023
Lipa hasn’t released an album since 2020’s smash hit Future Nostalgia, but she’s rarely left the spotlight in the time since.
—Spin Staff, SPIN, 9 Nov. 2023
South Korea Netflix had an unexpected smash hit on its hands with Squid Game in 2021, which, with over 111 million viewers, became the platform’s biggest series launch ever upon its release.
—Rachel Desantis, Peoplemag, 8 Nov. 2023
The smash was written by Wallen with fellow BMI signatories Ernest Keith Smith and Charlie Handsome, plus an ASCAP member, Ashley Gorley.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 8 Nov. 2023
Why is there so much hype over GTA VI?
GTA VI's predecessor, GTA V, was a smash hit, racking up sales of more than 185 million copies internationally in the 10 years since its release, The Verge reported.
—Elizabeth Napolitano, CBS News, 8 Nov. 2023
Fresh off his scene-stealing turn as Ken in Greta Gerwig's smash summer hit Barbie, Ryan Gosling takes on a different kind of iconic role as a stunt man who must find a missing movie star in The Fall Guy.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 2 Nov. 2023
Verb
Although a strike was averted, the F1 race weekend got off to a bad start when a loose drain cover smashed the floor of Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari, curtailing the first practice session mere minutes into it and barring fans from the grandstands for the next session.
—Sahil Kapur, NBC News, 22 Nov. 2023
The high followed a similar record smashed at Coachella in the U.S., where BLACKPINK became the first Asian and first all-female group to headline, according to The Guardian.
—Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 21 Nov. 2023
One of them smashed the glass front door with a hammer, running in to grab a print from an easel: a $100,000 lithograph by Marc Chagall.
After removing the work from the gallery, the thieves carried it outside into the rain, where a Honda Accord was waiting.
—Teresa Nowakowski, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Nov. 2023
This smashes every indenture that binds a Negro child other than as a white child should be bound!
—Anna Deavere Smith, The Atlantic, 13 Nov. 2023
The men smashed residents’ cellphones so no one could document the beatings that followed.
—Louisa Loveluck, Washington Post, 9 Nov. 2023
In Search of Closure: After a romantic or platonic breakup, these people turned to hexing spells, smashing plates and erasing all traces of their exes from their digital life.
—Vanessa Friedman, New York Times, 7 Nov. 2023
Over the past 18 months, Wise Sons Jewish Delicatessen, located less than a block from Sobre Mesa in downtown Oakland, has seen its doors smashed seven times, said Jeff Weinstein, chief executive of the company.
—Tim Carman, Washington Post, 10 Nov. 2023
To make pie, pumpkins are smashed, have their seeds removed and then are strained and mushed into a puree.
—Abby Hamblin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Nov. 2023
Adjective
Veep was a smash success and starred Louis-Dreyfus as a floundering American vice president constantly mired by hilarious setbacks and scandals.
—Keith Langston, Peoplemag, 23 Nov. 2023
Armed with little resources and facing heavy losses, the musicians must unite to make their smash debut.
—Caroline Brew, Variety, 30 Oct. 2023
From Depp's continued work with the prolific director, to Winona Ryder's role in the smash Netflix hit, Stranger Things, here is what the cast of Edward Scissorhands is up to today!
—Alexandra Schonfeld, Peoplemag, 25 Oct. 2023
This is a smash spot for Walker, who is going against a Cardinals run defense allowing 4.5 yards per carry, an average of 144.3 total yards and nine total TDs in six games.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Oct. 2023
Few things in music are more daunting than following up a smash debut album, but Olivia Rodrigo has pulled off that feat with Guts.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 12 Sep. 2023
This is a smash spot for Etienne after the Jaguars’ offense struggled last week against the Chiefs in their home opener.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Sep. 2023
The famous 1973 concert, beamed around the world to a global audience, gets a lavish reissue in the wake of the smash success of Baz Luhrmann’s ‘Elvis.’
— Creative Artists Agency to lay off 60 people as strikes drag on.
—Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2023
And one final note about flipping: Resist the urge to tap the pancake with the spatula after flipping it — this isn’t a smash burger!
—Anita L. Arambula, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 June 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'smash.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
Noun
1725, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Verb
1764, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Adjective
1923, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing smash
Articles Related to smash
Dictionary Entries Near smash
Cite this Entry
“Smash.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smash. Accessed 29 Nov. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
smash
2 of 2 noun1
a
: a heavy blow or attack
b
: a hard overhand stroke (as in tennis)
2
: the condition of being smashed
3
a
: the action or sound of smashing
especially
: a wreck due to collision : crash
b
: complete collapse : ruin
especially
: bankruptcy
4
: a striking success : hit
the new play is a smash
More from Merriam-Webster on smash
Nglish: Translation of smash for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of smash for Arabic Speakers
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
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