crashed; crashing; crashes
1
a
: to break violently and noisily : smash
b
: to damage (an airplane) in landing
2
a
: to cause to make a loud noise
crash the cymbals together
b
: to force (one's way) through with loud crashing noises
3
: to enter or attend without invitation or without paying
crash the party
4
: to move toward aggressively (as in fighting for a rebound)
basketball players crashing the boards
5
: to cause (a computer system, component, or program) to crash
1
a
: to break or go to pieces with or as if with violence and noise
b
: to fall, land, or hit with destructive force
c
: to decline suddenly and steeply
d
of a computer system, component, or program
: to suffer a sudden major failure usually with attendant loss of data
2
: to make a smashing noise
thunder crashing overhead
3
: to move or force one's way with or as if with a crash
crashes into the room
4
slang
: to experience the aftereffects (such as fatigue, irritability, headache, or depression) of a physiologically or psychologically active substance
Prolonged use of cocaine—repeatedly cycles of euphoria, crashing, and craving—probably brings about changes in the postsynaptic neurons …—
Robert Wilbur
Robert WilburCrashing from a sugar high never helped anyone remain awake all night.—Justin Rocket Silverman
Justin Rocket Silverman5
informal
a
: to go to bed or fall asleep
b
: to lose energy : to become very fatigued
It happens every afternoon like clockwork … I'm crashing, my body says. I need salt. Sugar. Fat. Now.—James Oseland
James Oseland
crasher
noun
1
: a loud sound (as of things smashing)
a crash of thunder
2
a
: a breaking to pieces by or as if by collision
b
: an instance of crashing
a plane crash
a system crash
3
: a sudden decline (as of a population) or failure (as of a business)
a stock market crash
4
informal
: the sudden, powerful occurrence of adverse aftereffects (such as fatigue, irritability, headache, or depression) following the use of a physiologically or psychologically active substance
… the jitters, euphoria and eventual crash that come after caffeine or amphetamines.—Graham Lawton
Graham LawtonWhen it comes to snacks, bars can have a nutritional edge over candy. Many are lower in fat and sugars. And some bars might be less likely to cause sugar rushes followed by crashes.—Consumer Reports
Consumer Reports
: marked by a concerted effort and effected in the shortest possible time especially to meet emergency conditions
a crash renovation program
: a coarse fabric used for draperies, toweling, and clothing and for strengthening joints of cased-in books
Examples of crash in a Sentence
Verb
She crashed the car into a tree, but no one was hurt.
He has crashed two cars, a truck, and a motorcycle.
We listened to the waves crashing against the shore.
The stuntman crashed through the window on a motorcycle.
The walls crashed down around them.
The books crashed to the floor.
The cymbals crashed and the trumpets blew.
Thunder crashed as the rain started to pour.
He crashed the cymbals together.
Noun (1)
the fiery crash of two jumbo jet airplanes in midair
refused to be discouraged by the crash of her hairdressing business
the crash of cymbals
a story about the crash of two alien cultures and the unfortunate consequences
Recent Examples on the Web
Law Murray, New York Times, 22 June 2025
Last October, two people in Boston were hurt when a drone hit a light pole and crashed during a Boston Celtics opening night watch party at City Hall Plaza.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 22 June 2025
Daniel Desrochers, Kansas City Star, 31 Jan. 2025
West 13th Avenue was temporarily closed for the crash cleanup and investigation but reopened overnight.
—Lauren Penington, The Denver Post, 6 Feb. 2025
Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 25 June 2025
The incident was a major setback for Boeing, which was still working to rebuild trust with regulators and the flying public after the deadly crashes of two 737 Max jets in 2018 and 2019 that killed 346 people.
—Joel Rose, NPR, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for crash
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Verb
Shannon proved to be more ready as a rookie, scoring double figures in all five of his 20-minute games and then crashing the middle of the Western Conference finals with bursts of scoring.
—Law Murray, New York Times, 22 June 2025
Last October, two people in Boston were hurt when a drone hit a light pole and crashed during a Boston Celtics opening night watch party at City Hall Plaza.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 22 June 2025
Adjective
Marshall pointed out that the plane and helicopter didn’t appear to be able to communicate with each other to avoid the crash – a loophole in a system that requires aircraft to have anti-crash technology to avoid collisions.
—Daniel Desrochers, Kansas City Star, 31 Jan. 2025
West 13th Avenue was temporarily closed for the crash cleanup and investigation but reopened overnight.
—Lauren Penington, The Denver Post, 6 Feb. 2025
Noun
Detaching parts may pose a hazard to other road users and increase the risk of crashes, according to the NHTSA report.
—Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 25 June 2025
The incident was a major setback for Boeing, which was still working to rebuild trust with regulators and the flying public after the deadly crashes of two 737 Max jets in 2018 and 2019 that killed 346 people.
—Joel Rose, NPR, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for crash
Cite this Entry
“Crash.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crash. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
crash
1 of 4 verb1
a
: to break with violence and much noise : smash
b
: to damage (an airplane) in landing
2
a
: to make or cause to make a loud noise
crash cymbals together
waves crashing on the shore
b
: to move or force a way roughly or with loud crashing noises
we went crashing through the underbrush
3
: to enter or attend without an invitation or without paying
crash a party
tried to crash the gates
4
: to go bad or go out of order suddenly
the computer system crashed
5
informal
: to go to bed or fall asleep
also
: to stay for a short time
crashing with friends for the week
crasher
noun
crash
3 of 4 adjective
: designed to do what it is supposed to do in a big hurry
a crash program
went on a crash diet
crash
4 of 4 noun
: a coarse fabric used for draperies and clothing
Etymology
Verb
Middle English crasschen "crash"
Noun
probably from Russian krashenina "colored linen"
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