crashes; crashed; crashing
1
a
: to hit something hard enough to cause serious damage or destruction
Investigators are still trying to determine why the airplane crashed. [=why the airplane hit the ground]
—often + intoThe car crashed into the fence/wall/guardrail.
She crashed into another car.
A large meteorite may have crashed into the Earth 65 million years ago.
b
: to damage (a vehicle) by causing it to hit something
She crashed the car into a tree, but no one was hurt.
He has crashed two cars, a truck, and a motorcycle.
2
a
always followed by an adverb or preposition
: to make a loud noise by falling, hitting something, etc.
We listened to the waves crashing against the shore.
The stuntman crashed through the window on a motorcycle.
The walls crashed down around them.
He came crashing [=tearing] through the woods.
The books crashed to the floor.
The whole stack of cans came crashing down. [=fell down with a lot of noise and force]
—sometimes used figurativelyThe whole theory came crashing down when it was revealed that some of the supporting evidence had been falsified.
His world came crashing down when he lost his job.
b
: to make a loud noise
The cymbals crashed and the trumpets blew.
Thunder crashed as the rain started to pour.
c
: to cause two things to hit against each other and make a loud noise
He crashed the cymbals together.
3
a
of a computer
: to stop working suddenly
My computer keeps crashing.
b
: to cause (a computer) to stop working suddenly
This program always crashes my computer.
4
informal
a
: to go to sleep
I was exhausted after the long flight, so I just checked into the hotel and crashed.
b
: to stay or live for a short time with someone
You can crash [=sleep] here tonight.
She's crashing with friends for a few days while her apartment is being repaired.
5
of a business, price, market, etc.
: to go down in value very suddenly and quickly
They lost thousands of dollars when the stock market crashed.
6
informal
: to go to (a party) without being invited
He tried to crash the party but they wouldn't let him in.
7
US, sports
: to move very quickly and forcefully toward (something, such as the goal in ice hockey)
The players crashed the net.
plural crashes
1
: an accident in which a vehicle is seriously damaged or destroyed by hitting something
He was injured in a car crash.
Investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the crash.
a train/airplane crash
An ambulance arrived at the crash site/scene within minutes.
2
: a very loud noise
—usually singular
The pot/glass fell to the floor with a crash.
We listened to the crash of waves in the distance.
He ended the song with a crash of cymbals.
a crash of thunder
3
: an occurrence in which a computer suddenly stops working
I am always experiencing computer crashes.
4
: a sudden and extreme fall or drop in amount or value
They lost thousands of dollars in the stock market crash.
a species of fish that has undergone a population crash
Cite this Entry
“Crash.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/crash. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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