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
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 The trend isn’t one-sided either, as clips have surfaced of brides being the ones to start the frosting fight, like in this TikTok video where a bride smashes a piece of cake on her groom’s face. Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 11 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 After Marcus smashes Terry's head in with his own, Gladys drops the twig in the bowl of water to put an end to his violent frenzy. Megan McCluskey, Time, 8 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
  • Continue reading … HEAT HISTORY – Padres flamethrower shatters MLB record with jaw-dropping pitch in playoff battle.
    , FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2025
  • Gunfire shatters windows at The Grand The fatal shooting in August was the latest incident amid ongoing crime problems there, the lawsuit says.
    Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 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
  • 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
  • Most of the time, a person’s immune system identifies and destroys these cells.
    Elizabeth Yuko, Flow Space, 24 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Washington Post slams Kamala Harris book tour, says Dems don't 'have time to waste' on former VP.
    , FOXNews.com, 29 Sep. 2025
  • The charging bear slams against the car as the door closes, swiping at the space where the man's head was moments before.
    Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • As a report from Gizmodo explains, this is the name given to the portion of the belt made up of asteroids small enough to be involved in frequent collisions and dynamical ejections.
    Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 3 Oct. 2025
  • Four pedestrians were killed in collisions last year in the city.
    Mara H. Gottfried, Twin Cities, 30 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The way people typically die in intersections is often because of head-on and T-bone crashes, which the roundabout design addresses, Bryson said.
    Eric D. Lawrence, USA Today, 28 Sep. 2025
  • The sheriff’s office also posts about crashes in real time on Facebook feeds and on its app.
    Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 27 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The assailant stopped mid-speech and delivered two blows straight to Antao’s face.
    Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 27 Sep. 2025
  • Large companies can absorb the blows, but the dry cleaner, toy importer, or family-run retailer cannot.
    Jacob Bennett, Fortune, 18 Sep. 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 5 Oct. 2025.

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