CLASHES Synonyms: 120 Similar and Opposite Words

clashes 1 of 2

noun

plural of clash

as in skirmishes

a physical dispute between opposing individuals or groups a clash between rival gangs that resulted in some serious injuries

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truces

as in rattles

the loud sound made when metal strikes metal the clash of cymbals

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clashes

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of clash

as in conflicts

to be out of harmony or agreement usually noticeably the colors of your shirt and pants clash a parent's idea of proper dress often clashes with a teenager's

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of clashes

Noun

Leo Your ego clashes with others, often pushing you to prove a point impatiently and restlessly. — Lisa Stardust, Vogue, 22 Sep. 2026 The North Korean soldiers retreated after the South broadcast audio warnings and fired the shots and there were no clashes. — ABC News, 21 Sep. 2026 The strikes triggered border clashes, prompting Qatar and Turkey to mediate a ceasefire. — Riaz Khan, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026 The issue has been especially contentious in Northern Virginia, where disagreements over bathrooms, locker rooms, pronouns and parental notification have prompted clashes between state officials and local school boards. — Jackson Thompson Outkick, FOXNews.com, 17 Sep. 2026 Two years ago, in the lead-up to one of these clashes, a reporter coaxed a smile out of then-Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. — Alec Lewis, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026 Pennsylvania has reported a fourth death related to measles, the latest in a growing outbreak that has also sparked ongoing political clashes. — Jamie Gumbrecht, CNN Money, 15 Sep. 2026 Such repressive moves are routine in Putin’s Russia, the default operations of a governing system that long ago neutralized contests between political visions or clashes of rival parties. — Michael Kimmage, Foreign Affairs, 14 Sep. 2026 Advertisement Given the sometimes violent border clashes between China and India in recent years, observers will also be watching Xi’s and Modi’s body language closely. — Ian Bremmer, Time, 11 Sep. 2026

Verb

Paul clashes with Neeley, Matthews, and Draper before storming out of the party, only to return and continue arguing with the group. — Krystie Lee Yandoli, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2026 According to The Ankler, the film’s plot centers on a Black reenactor at a historical slave plantation museum who clashes with the Midwest town’s racist mayor, played by Parker. — Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2026 The team-building process of the NFL sometimes clashes with the self-preservation process of human nature. — Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 7 Aug. 2026 Elsewhere, Rhaenyra clashes with Lord Corlys, refusing to legitimize his sons Addam and Alyn with her hold on power so tenuous. — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026 The resulting design gives the consumer-favorite 9060 a sleeker appearance, which clashes with its otherwise bulky proportions. — Riley Jones, Footwear News, 14 July 2026 Nader is set to play Selene, a captain of the Zuma Beach Lifeguards, who often clashes with Amell's character, Hobie Buchannon, her fellow co-captain. — Lori A Bashian, FOXNews.com, 19 June 2026 Just be mindful when Venus clashes with Pluto retrograde on June 17 — attraction can turn into obsession if power dynamics (or boundaries) are off. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 5 June 2026 Azure Blue Azure blue also clashes with the warm, 3000K, soft white bulb that most of us prefer for a relaxing soak. — Natasha Bazika, Martha Stewart, 9 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for clashes

Noun

Oasis’s Live ’25 was one of the biggest tours of the decade, marking the band’s first performances in 15 years after brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher’s intense skirmishes led to the band breaking up in 2009.

— Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 14 Sep. 2026
Asgari highlights these minor skirmishes through life itself (whether at its most verbose, or in complete silence) via minor aesthetic transformations which play in major keys, and prove deeply moving.

— Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of skirmishes

Verb

The business of asset management often conflicts with the business of investing—an interesting paradox.

— Fortune Editors, Fortune, 5 Aug. 2026
This directly conflicts with at least one existing state law, California's SB53, raising complex questions about which specific state provisions, like whistleblower protections, would survive.

— Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026

Definition of conflicts

Noun

These feats of inclusion are hard fought, and the Academy likes to award them (even when its membership likely includes people who made those fights hard in the first place).

— Joe Reid, Vulture, 21 Sep. 2026
Many of the fights being waged here are still being waged today.

— Lucy Sante, Vanity Fair, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of fights

Noun

That changed in 2013, when a small, dark body orbiting between Saturn and Uranus passed in front of a star and blinked twice on either side of the main event, revealing two narrow rings around an object barely 250 kilometers across.

— Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 19 Sep. 2026
Zendaya chose a glittering Prada gown bedecked in shimmering crystals with a plunging tulle neckline, along with Mikimoto jewelry, including lavish pearl-and-diamond earrings and two rings from the Petals collection.

— Meg Walters, InStyle, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of rings

Verb

Amazon's Deals of the Day are running epic discounts on entertainment gear from JBL, Roku, and Toshiba, giving your home theater a heroic boost before the multiverse collides.

— Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026
But as is often the case when a larger movement collides with sports, the athlete participation in a larger movement inspires those same players to push for change within their own walls.

— Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of collides

Noun

In 2019, Mary Max died by suicide two weeks after The New York Times published a story detailing legal battles over his work.

— BETH J. HARPAZ THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, Arkansas Online, 18 Sep. 2026
Among the highest-profile battles was against USC wide receiver Makai Lemon, who had two catches on three targets for 28 yards when Moore was covering him.

— Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of battles

Noun

The soundtrack—by the frequent Hans Zimmer collaborator David Fleming—is a delight, a polyphonic mood board of ghost-clangs, spooky bassoons, lyrical electro-motifs, and sighing sea themes.

— James Parker, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026
The album’s official versions smooth out some of the buzzy sibilance of the bootlegs, but Hold Onto Me Infinity accommodates lots of tasteful clangs and wubs.

— H.D. Angel, Pitchfork, 2 June 2026