smashes 1 of 2

present tense third-person singular of smash
1
2
as in demolishes
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 destroys
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

smashes

2 of 2

noun

plural of smash
1
2
as in crashes
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
4
5

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 smashes
Verb
As Richard tries to kill Carrie, Sigrid shoots him in the shoulder and Lo smashes him in the face with a piece of boating equipment. Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2025 As several women listen intently, Belushi, donning a toga, rips the guitar out of Bishop's hands and smashes it into a wall. Mark Gray, PEOPLE, 5 Oct. 2025 The ball smashes into the floodlights, and Hobbs sets off on his victory trot, in slow motion, with sparks cascading behind him like fireworks. Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2025 In the United Kingdom, as fans wait for something new from the global pop star, one of her earlier career smashes returns to the top 40 and becomes a bestseller again. Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025 At a single, two-minute dinner, Hermann Kafka smashes a cockroach while denigrating his son’s engagement to Felice Bauer before reiterating his distaste for Franz’s writing. Sam Bodrojan, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2025 There’s no time to get your bearings; an EDM drop smashes everything to pieces, then a pained voice croons in the rubble while drunkenly mashing a detuned guitar. Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 27 Aug. 2025 The recent radio data uncovered delicate filaments aligned with magnetic fields, likely created as the pulsar wind smashes into leftover material from the stellar explosion. Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 25 Aug. 2025 Antonia smashes the conch—a very tough meat—into thin slices. Peter Kelly, Travel + Leisure, 18 Aug. 2025
Noun
In addition, the penthouse of the Hot 100 has been unusually stagnant over the past year, with smashes remaining in the top 10 for months on end. Jason Lipshutz, Billboard, 2 Oct. 2025 Both smashes have spent 276 weeks on the chart as of this frame. Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025 In some cases, these cake smashes have even ended in disaster or divorce. Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 11 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smashes
Verb
  • In a small town like Harding, a crime involving local children of local families shatters the relatively placid and usually numb routines of daily life.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2025
  • Continue reading … HEAT HISTORY – Padres flamethrower shatters MLB record with jaw-dropping pitch in playoff battle.
    , FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • If the city demolishes the building, the costs will be assessed to the property owner.
    Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 30 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Once in place, the device releases liquid nitrogen, reaching temperatures as low as –170°C to form an ice ball that destroys the tumor cells.
    Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 10 Oct. 2025
  • These newly aware companies’ high-speed trading of financial projects destroys the Earth itself, forcing humans to flee to the margins of the solar system.
    Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 29 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Head slams right into the turf.
    Matt Audilet, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Oct. 2025
  • Build a heavily-armored door that slams shut via a trigger and control panel, and get ready to battle with the rotating turret.
    Anja Webb, Parents, 7 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Unlocking quantum gravity Gravitational waves, which are ripples in the fabric of space-time first predicted by Einstein, are typically detected at low frequencies by observatories like LIGO and Virgo, which listen for signals from events such as black hole collisions.
    Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 10 Oct. 2025
  • Starlinks also have brought up space debris concerns, both in that more satellites raise the risk of collisions and because their reentry could leave traces of metals in Earth’s atmosphere, potentially causing pollution and affecting climate.
    Elizabeth Howell, Space.com, 10 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • About a third of those crashes happened in the process of landing.
    Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 11 Oct. 2025
  • In The Last Frontier, a plane full of inmates crashes in Alaska, forcing local law enforcement and the CIA to work together to find them.
    Brittney Melton, NPR, 10 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • But earlier, with the ceasefire on the verge of being cemented, Israel and Hamas continued to trade blows.
    Shannon K. Kingston, ABC News, 10 Oct. 2025
  • The Dances With Wolves star nearly came to blows with his costar Wes Bentley during a tense altercation on the set of Taylor Sheridan's neo-Western series, THR reported.
    Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Owen Wilson’s Stick has been renewed for a second season; the news was likely received to just mild golf claps among the online golfing community.
    Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 26 Sep. 2025
  • Bounces reporter Ben Rothenberg noted that the president received some claps as well.
    Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 7 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Smashes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smashes. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.

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