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
ABC News, 8 May 2026
At sunset, head high to the rooftop cocktail lounge, Citrus Club, for 360-degree views over the peninsula, plus smash burgers, salmon-belly tacos, and coconut-crab salad.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 May 2026
Rick Armstrong, Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2026
Word of mouth drew droves to his pop-up starting in 2020, and he’s credited with kickstarting South Florida’s obsession with smash-burger joints.
—Phillip Valys, Sun Sentinel, 28 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for smash
Verb
When Kolkata was on the brink of victory and Allen was on 94, Green teed up his teammate who smashed Mukesh Kumar with his 10th six to reach his hundred and clinch the win.
—ABC News, 8 May 2026
At sunset, head high to the rooftop cocktail lounge, Citrus Club, for 360-degree views over the peninsula, plus smash burgers, salmon-belly tacos, and coconut-crab salad.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 May 2026
Noun
Six months to the day since having knee surgery for a torn ACL and both menisci cartilage, Ekwinski lined a one-hop smash that hit third base and caromed up and out into left field for a single in the Foxes’ 7-0 Southwest Prairie Conference win.
—Rick Armstrong, Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2026
Word of mouth drew droves to his pop-up starting in 2020, and he’s credited with kickstarting South Florida’s obsession with smash-burger joints.
—Phillip Valys, Sun Sentinel, 28 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for smash
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smash
Verb
-
LaPorta set the rookie tight end record for receptions in 2023 with 86 (the Las Vegas Raiders’ Brock Bowers shattered it a year later with 112).—
Daniel Popper,
New York Times,
6 May 2026
-
If the record pace continues, TDT will raise well over $400 million in the current fiscal year, shattering last year’s mark.—
Stephen Hudak,
The Orlando Sentinel,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
The house was set to be demolished after Sprague died, but instead it was purchased and partially restored by Roger and Mary Mildred DeWitt in the 1960s.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
8 May 2026
-
Many family members are opposed to demolishing and/or selling the property.—
Mark Dent,
HubSpot,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
Onions can be used as a companion plant to carrots to keep away the destructive carrot fly, a pest that can stunt the growth of carrots and even destroy entire plantings.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
10 May 2026
-
If an Entry is confirmed to have been erroneously deleted, lost, or destroyed, entrant’s sole remedy shall be another entry into the Sweepstakes.—
AJC.com,
AJC.com,
10 May 2026
Verb
-
Matatu buses bump with heavy bass over their sound systems, and are painted up with mural montages.—
Emmanuel Igunza,
NPR,
7 May 2026
-
In a world of more than eight billion busy people, a few will bump into a neighbor traveling in a distant country, for example.—
Faye Flam,
Scientific American,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
In court Friday, Kazarian said her client suffered from an undiagnosed neurological disorder and may have experienced a seizure at the time of the collision.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
9 May 2026
-
In reality, collisions in space are extremely rare but incredibly dangerous.—
Alan Bradley,
Space.com,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
The dot-com crash was disastrous for the company and Turner, the largest individual shareholder in the combined company.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
7 May 2026
-
Those incidents surfaced more than a year after Devin Willock and recruiting staff member Chandler LeCroy were killed in a car crash in 2023.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
Amid aspersions and attack ads, the pair nearly came to blows at a community debate.—
Dakota Smith,
Los Angeles Times,
11 May 2026
-
From there, both fighters were trading blows, but the fifth round was when Strickland had an interesting moment with Chimaev.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
10 May 2026
Noun
-
That all translates to more bang for your buck while also dealing with a very serious industrial and agricultural pollutant.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
10 May 2026
-
The original game was already over 100 hours long, but the new content adds even more playtime, giving you plenty of bang for your buck.—
George Yang,
PC Magazine,
8 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Smash.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smash. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
