smashed; smashing; smashes
1
: to break or crush by violence
2
a
: to drive or throw violently especially with a shattering or battering effect
also
: to effect in this way
b
: to hit violently : batter
c(1)
: to hit (something, such as a tennis ball) with a hard overhand stroke
(2)
: to drive (a ball) with a forceful stroke
3
: to destroy utterly : wreck
1
: to move or become propelled with violence or crashing effect
smashed into a tree
2
: to become wrecked
3
: to go to pieces suddenly under collision or pressure
smasher
noun
: being a smash : outstanding
a smash hit
Synonyms
Examples of smash in a Sentence
Noun
The new movie is a smash.
She was a smash at the party.
His new song promises to be a smash hit.
The vase fell to the ground with a loud smash.
She hit an overhand smash that won the match.
Verb
He smashed the vase with a hammer.
The ball smashed the window.
The vase fell and smashed to pieces.
He smashed into the wall.
She smashed the ball deep into the opposite corner.
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Recent Examples on the Web
Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 2 Dec. 2023
The Cybertruck also saw Tesla reject the sleek lines of its latest smash hit, the Model Y SUV, in favor of a design that looked to Snyder almost offensive, exuding martial aggression.
—Aarian Marshall, WIRED, 30 Nov. 2023
Now, he’s matched one of his own records with one of his latest smashes.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2023
But the very idea that the sequel isn’t a guaranteed smash is indicative of larger concerns in Hollywood.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 28 Nov. 2023
In the original 1984 film — which was a box office smash and shot Murphy to international stardom — the Saturday Night Live alum’s character is a Detroit detective who goes rogue and heads to southern California to solve the murder of his childhood friend (James Russo).
—Eric Andersson, Peoplemag, 17 Nov. 2023
Couple that with two back-to-back live performances that flaunt her impressive dance skills and you’re left with a good old fashioned pure pop smash.
—Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 21 Nov. 2023
Essentially, their smash hit, Desert Island Duo, got a sultry makeover, adding shimmer to the OG.
—Celia Shatzman, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023
Plus, the new Taylor Swift movie has been a smash hit and is helping to revive theaters and malls—both commercial real estate mainstays that tanked during the pandemic.
—Bysydney Lake, Fortune, 10 Nov. 2023
Alex Ritman, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Dec. 2023
In their announcement video, Cabrera smashes a decorative guitar to reveal a cloud of pink powder, confirming that the couple were expecting a baby girl.
—Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 1 Dec. 2023
When the June 2023 episode of Mann Ki Baat aired, protesters in the north-eastern state of Manipur smashed radio sets because Modi made no mention of the violent conflict raging there.
—Adil Rashid, WIRED, 28 Nov. 2023
Nostalgia, hierarchy, hero worship, the establishment of a canon, the separation between audience and artist — all of these are both the natural tendencies of museums and the things that punk was invented to smash.
—Brett Martin, New York Times, 28 Nov. 2023
While giving a hitting demonstration to players at Asahikawa Higashi High in Hokkaido, Suzuki blasted a 426-foot home run that smashed a window in a math classroom.
—Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 28 Nov. 2023
After striking the other car, troopers said the Corvette smashed through the power pole and hit a tree.
—Stephen Sorace, Fox News, 19 Nov. 2023
Although a strike was averted, the F1 race weekend got off to a bad start when a loose drain cover smashed the floor of Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari, curtailing the first practice session mere minutes into it and barring fans from the grandstands for the next session.
—Sahil Kapur, NBC News, 22 Nov. 2023
The high followed a similar record smashed at Coachella in the U.S., where BLACKPINK became the first Asian and first all-female group to headline, according to The Guardian.
—Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 21 Nov. 2023
Keith Langston, Peoplemag, 23 Nov. 2023
Armed with little resources and facing heavy losses, the musicians must unite to make their smash debut.
—Caroline Brew, Variety, 30 Oct. 2023
From Depp's continued work with the prolific director, to Winona Ryder's role in the smash Netflix hit, Stranger Things, here is what the cast of Edward Scissorhands is up to today!
—Alexandra Schonfeld, Peoplemag, 25 Oct. 2023
This is a smash spot for Walker, who is going against a Cardinals run defense allowing 4.5 yards per carry, an average of 144.3 total yards and nine total TDs in six games.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Oct. 2023
Few things in music are more daunting than following up a smash debut album, but Olivia Rodrigo has pulled off that feat with Guts.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 12 Sep. 2023
This is a smash spot for Etienne after the Jaguars’ offense struggled last week against the Chiefs in their home opener.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Sep. 2023
The famous 1973 concert, beamed around the world to a global audience, gets a lavish reissue in the wake of the smash success of Baz Luhrmann’s ‘Elvis.’
— Creative Artists Agency to lay off 60 people as strikes drag on.
—Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2023
And one final note about flipping: Resist the urge to tap the pancake with the spatula after flipping it — this isn’t a smash burger!
—Anita L. Arambula, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 June 2023
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Noun
The impact wasn’t just on the small screen: The Super Mario Bros. Movie was a box office smash, making over a billion dollars globally, with plans now hatched to adapt The Legend of Zelda for cinemas.
—Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 2 Dec. 2023
The Cybertruck also saw Tesla reject the sleek lines of its latest smash hit, the Model Y SUV, in favor of a design that looked to Snyder almost offensive, exuding martial aggression.
—Aarian Marshall, WIRED, 30 Nov. 2023
Now, he’s matched one of his own records with one of his latest smashes.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2023
But the very idea that the sequel isn’t a guaranteed smash is indicative of larger concerns in Hollywood.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 28 Nov. 2023
In the original 1984 film — which was a box office smash and shot Murphy to international stardom — the Saturday Night Live alum’s character is a Detroit detective who goes rogue and heads to southern California to solve the murder of his childhood friend (James Russo).
—Eric Andersson, Peoplemag, 17 Nov. 2023
Couple that with two back-to-back live performances that flaunt her impressive dance skills and you’re left with a good old fashioned pure pop smash.
—Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 21 Nov. 2023
Essentially, their smash hit, Desert Island Duo, got a sultry makeover, adding shimmer to the OG.
—Celia Shatzman, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023
Plus, the new Taylor Swift movie has been a smash hit and is helping to revive theaters and malls—both commercial real estate mainstays that tanked during the pandemic.
—Bysydney Lake, Fortune, 10 Nov. 2023
Verb
The company’s first feature Sattar smashed Saudi box office records at the start of the year, becoming the most successful local feature of all time in the space of a couple of weeks, and would go on to beat most major Hollywood releases (including Barbie).
—Alex Ritman, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Dec. 2023
In their announcement video, Cabrera smashes a decorative guitar to reveal a cloud of pink powder, confirming that the couple were expecting a baby girl.
—Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 1 Dec. 2023
When the June 2023 episode of Mann Ki Baat aired, protesters in the north-eastern state of Manipur smashed radio sets because Modi made no mention of the violent conflict raging there.
—Adil Rashid, WIRED, 28 Nov. 2023
Nostalgia, hierarchy, hero worship, the establishment of a canon, the separation between audience and artist — all of these are both the natural tendencies of museums and the things that punk was invented to smash.
—Brett Martin, New York Times, 28 Nov. 2023
While giving a hitting demonstration to players at Asahikawa Higashi High in Hokkaido, Suzuki blasted a 426-foot home run that smashed a window in a math classroom.
—Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 28 Nov. 2023
After striking the other car, troopers said the Corvette smashed through the power pole and hit a tree.
—Stephen Sorace, Fox News, 19 Nov. 2023
Although a strike was averted, the F1 race weekend got off to a bad start when a loose drain cover smashed the floor of Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari, curtailing the first practice session mere minutes into it and barring fans from the grandstands for the next session.
—Sahil Kapur, NBC News, 22 Nov. 2023
The high followed a similar record smashed at Coachella in the U.S., where BLACKPINK became the first Asian and first all-female group to headline, according to The Guardian.
—Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 21 Nov. 2023
Adjective
Veep was a smash success and starred Louis-Dreyfus as a floundering American vice president constantly mired by hilarious setbacks and scandals.
—Keith Langston, Peoplemag, 23 Nov. 2023
Armed with little resources and facing heavy losses, the musicians must unite to make their smash debut.
—Caroline Brew, Variety, 30 Oct. 2023
From Depp's continued work with the prolific director, to Winona Ryder's role in the smash Netflix hit, Stranger Things, here is what the cast of Edward Scissorhands is up to today!
—Alexandra Schonfeld, Peoplemag, 25 Oct. 2023
This is a smash spot for Walker, who is going against a Cardinals run defense allowing 4.5 yards per carry, an average of 144.3 total yards and nine total TDs in six games.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Oct. 2023
Few things in music are more daunting than following up a smash debut album, but Olivia Rodrigo has pulled off that feat with Guts.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 12 Sep. 2023
This is a smash spot for Etienne after the Jaguars’ offense struggled last week against the Chiefs in their home opener.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Sep. 2023
The famous 1973 concert, beamed around the world to a global audience, gets a lavish reissue in the wake of the smash success of Baz Luhrmann’s ‘Elvis.’
— Creative Artists Agency to lay off 60 people as strikes drag on.
—Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2023
And one final note about flipping: Resist the urge to tap the pancake with the spatula after flipping it — this isn’t a smash burger!
—Anita L. Arambula, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 June 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'smash.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
Noun
1725, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Verb
1764, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Adjective
1923, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing smash
Articles Related to smash
Dictionary Entries Near smash
Cite this Entry
“Smash.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smash. Accessed 9 Dec. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
smash
2 of 2 noun1
a
: a heavy blow or attack
b
: a hard overhand stroke (as in tennis)
2
: the condition of being smashed
3
a
: the action or sound of smashing
especially
: a wreck due to collision : crash
b
: complete collapse : ruin
especially
: bankruptcy
4
: a striking success : hit
the new play is a smash
More from Merriam-Webster on smash
Nglish: Translation of smash for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of smash for Arabic Speakers
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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