Synonym Chooser

How is the word collision different from other nouns like it?

Some common synonyms of collision are concussion, impact, and shock. While all these words mean "a forceful, even violent contact between two or more things," collision implies the coming together of two or more things with such force that both or all are damaged or their progress is severely impeded.

the collision damaged the vehicle

In what contexts can concussion take the place of collision?

The synonyms concussion and collision are sometimes interchangeable, but concussion when not in technical use, often suggests the shattering, disrupting, or weakening effects of a collision, explosion, or blow.

bystanders felt the concussion of the blast

When could impact be used to replace collision?

In some situations, the words impact and collision are roughly equivalent. However, impact may be used to imply contact between two things, at least one of which is impelled toward the other.

the glass shattered on impact with the floor

When might shock be a better fit than collision?

The words shock and collision are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, shock often denotes the effect produced by a collision and carries the suggestion of something that strikes or hits with force.

the shock of falling rocks

Example Sentences

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 collision Attorneys submitted video from an incident in Evanston, IL last Friday which allegedly showed agents clashing with protesters and individuals involved in a collision with a government vehicle. Armando Garcia, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2025 AGVs are programmed to navigate the factory, using cameras and sensors to slow or stop to avoid collisions, and emit spoken warnings to human workers in their path. IEEE Spectrum, 5 Nov. 2025 The male driver, identified as 25-year-old Tajhae Darden, ran from the scene and was apprehended by a police officer on a motorcycle about two minutes after the collision. Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 5 Nov. 2025 Mills had just started moving through the intersection when the collision happened. Kevin Grasha, Cincinnati Enquirer, 5 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for collision
Recent Examples of Synonyms for collision
Noun
  • On the day of the crash, the FBI collected pictures of the car’s exterior, paint samples and other evidence, according to an affidavit filed by the Justice Department.
    Omar Jimenez, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2025
  • Crash reported on eastbound I-70 There has been a crash on I-70 between Blue Ridge Cut Off/Exit 9 and Sterling Avenue/Exit 10.
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 6 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • Unfortunate accidents or something more sinister?
    Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 3 Nov. 2025
  • The couple also performed as part of Garcia’s side project, the Jerry Garcia Band, from 1976-1978 and formed their own side project, The Ghosts (later the Heart of Gold Band); Keith Godchaux, 32, died from injuries in a car accident in July 1980 shortly after the couple’s first concert together.
    Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 3 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • But this could be the start of a period of stagflationary shocks where both sides of the mandate get worse at the same time.
    Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 4 Nov. 2025
  • Wolverhampton Wanderers are considering a shock return for former head coach Gary O’Neil, with Rob Edwards another prominent candidate and Michael Carrick also in the frame to replace Vitor Pereira.
    David Ornstein, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • Russia may be using the wreck of the MS Estonia–a Baltic Sea ferry that sank in 1994–as a training ground and strategic base for covert underwater surveillance operations targeting NATO forces, independent European investigators have said in a new report.
    Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
  • Officials investigating the wreck in Florida said Singh failed English and road sign tests.
    Greg Wehner , Bill Melugin, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The organization’s Green Heart Project, which studies the impact of better air quality on heart disease through urban greening, has found that increasing the number of trees and shrubs in an area can create lower levels of a blood marker associated with inflammation.
    Maggie Menderski, Louisville Courier Journal, 26 Oct. 2025
  • Experts bemoan the loneliness epidemic and its impact on youth, mental health, longevity, and chronic pain.
    Joni Eareckson Tada, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • My new surroundings, no doubt, amplified the psychosomatic jolt.
    David Amsden, Travel + Leisure, 5 Nov. 2025
  • This lamp from his recent CB2 collection takes all the airiness of a Noguchi paper lantern and adds a jolt of chrome and marble for something seriously sexy.
    Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 3 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • The windshield repels the huddled form and the thump on the pavement sounds like a rebuke.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 7 Nov. 2025
  • The result is that the sonic boom becomes a sonic thump of 60 dB to 80 dB, or about that of a car door closing for those on the ground.
    David Szondy October 28, New Atlas, 28 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • On the Bucks’ first offensive possession out of the timeout, Antetokounmpo hammered home a two-handed slam on an alley-oop from Rollins.
    Eric Nehm, New York Times, 8 Nov. 2025
  • Millie Bobby Brown recently told British Vogue that her biggest issue with the press is the need for journalists to outright slam celebrities in article headlines.
    Zack Sharf, Variety, 5 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Collision.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/collision. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on collision

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