1
as in to shatter
to cause to break with violence and much noise
the drunken guest deliberately smashed a glass against the brick fireplace
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in to demolish
to cause to break open or into pieces by or as if by an explosive
the firecracker smashed the clay pot
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to destroy
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of
the invading troops smashed the resistance and went on to conquer the country
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to bump
to come into usually forceful contact with something
we nearly smashed into each other on the skating rink
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in collision
a forceful coming together of two things
the awful smash when his dreams got hit by reality
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in crash
the violent coming together of two bodies into destructive contact
the sound of the smash made all of the bystanders immediately whip their heads around
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in blow
a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument
she gave the tennis ball a smash and sent it flying over the other side of the net
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in bang
a loud explosive sound
the bikes collided with a huge smash
Synonyms & Similar Words
5
as in hit
a person or thing that is successful
the new Broadway musical is a smash
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 smash
Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 28 May 2025
Rashid, who attended the parade with his wife and two young daughters, said crowds of people ran over and started to smash the car’s windows.
—Eve Brennan, CNN Money, 27 May 2025
Shania Russell, EW.com, 23 May 2025
Films like Sonic the Hedgehog, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and Detective Pikachu, and TV series like The Last of Us have been massive successes, and while not every game to film adaptation is a smash hit, more of them are succeeding than ever before.
—Oliver Brandt, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for smash
Verb
For the second time in three months, a vehicle drove off the road and smashed a hole into the roof of the Clay-Ray Veterans Association building in Excelsior Springs Wednesday morning.
—Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 28 May 2025
Rashid, who attended the parade with his wife and two young daughters, said crowds of people ran over and started to smash the car’s windows.
—Eve Brennan, CNN Money, 27 May 2025
Noun
Alongside his siblings Nick and Kevin, he's been filling stadiums and concert venues for two decades, thanks to the massive global success of the Jonas Brothers' smash singles and platinum albums.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 23 May 2025
Films like Sonic the Hedgehog, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and Detective Pikachu, and TV series like The Last of Us have been massive successes, and while not every game to film adaptation is a smash hit, more of them are succeeding than ever before.
—Oliver Brandt, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for smash
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smash
Verb
-
Whatever credibility the report might have had as a product of a federal agency was shattered by its obvious errors, misrepresentations and outright fabrications of source materials, some of it plainly the product of the authors’ reliance on AI bots.—
Michael Hiltzik,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2025
-
In 1985, Michael Jordan shattered a backboard during a dunk in a summer exhibition game against the Italian team Stefanel Trieste.—
Ian Servantes,
Footwear News,
2 June 2025
Verb
-
In 2012, Texas Wesleyan went to the city’s historic and cultural landmarks commission seeking permission to demolish the home for further campus expansion, but were denied.—
Brayden Garcia,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
6 June 2025
-
Goldschmidt has demolished the NL Central in his career, with a slash line of .291/.388/.527 in almost 550 games played.—
Andrew Wright,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 June 2025
Verb
-
If trillion-dollar bonds are required to contest trillion-dollar damages our government is causing, that destroys the protections our Constitution provides its citizens against the rule of tyrants.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 June 2025
-
Ukraine underscored the risk to advanced military powers on June 1 when its inexpensive drones damaged or destroyed strategic warplanes across Russia.—
Tom Vanden Brook,
USA Today,
8 June 2025
Verb
-
Since bumping Robinson into the first unit and bringing Josh Hart off the bench, New York is 2-1, with a chance to tie the series at three apiece and force a decisive Game 7 back at The Garden on Monday.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
31 May 2025
-
Most passengers receive compensation equal to double the one-way price of the flight they were bumped from and a seat on the next available flight.—
Christopher Elliott The Travel Troubleshooter,
Sun Sentinel,
26 May 2025
Noun
-
Daniel David Parra, 21, was killed in a collision between his Kawasaki motorcycle and a gray Toyota RAV4 SUV in the 3100 block of West Sunrise Boulevard, Lauderhill police said Sunday.—
David Fleshler,
Sun Sentinel,
1 June 2025
-
From 1988 to 2023, wildlife collisions in the U.S. killed 76 people and destroyed 126 aircraft.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
1 June 2025
Noun
-
The United States Air Force performed full military honors Saturday at the funeral of the 18-year-old woman killed in a jet ski hit-and-run crash last weekend at Grapevine Lake.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
1 June 2025
-
Near the start of their senior years in 1951, three of Jennings’ close friends, including two mutual friends of Atkinson, died in a vehicle crash in Santa Barbara.—
Sean Campbell,
Sacbee.com,
1 June 2025
Noun
-
If approved, the cuts would served a devastating blow to the U.N., which is already struggling as other governments also cut contributions.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
3 June 2025
-
Her relationship may have been seen as the ideal outcome of inner work, so its collapse may have felt disappointing, like a blow to their healing process.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
2 June 2025
Noun
-
No complicated layers or fancy highlights, just healthy shoulder-length hair and windswept side bangs.—
Elizabeth Logan,
Glamour,
3 June 2025
-
For glam, Megan wore larger-than-life, dark brown voluminous curls and bangs and went for summer-ready peach shades for her eyeshadow, cheeks and lips.—
Starr Bowenbank,
People.com,
30 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Smash.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smash. Accessed 12 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share