smash
[verb]
Synonyms:
- break, crush, demolish, pulverize, shatter
- collide, crash
- destroy, lay waste, ruin, trash (slang), wreck
[noun]
Synonyms:
- destruction, collapse, downfall, failure, ruin
- collision, accident, crash

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Antonyms: flop
Contrasted words: disaster, dud, failure
Related Idioms: howling (or roaring) success, smash hit
Related Words: sensation, knockout

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English Thesaurus: break, smash, shatter, crack, burst, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. smash¹ /smæʃ/ verb
[Date: 1600-1700; Origin: Perhaps from smack + mash]

1. [intransitive and transitive] to break into pieces violently or noisily, or to make something do this by dropping, throwing, or hitting it:
Vandals had smashed all the windows.
Firemen had to smash the lock to get in.
Several cups fell to the floor and smashed to pieces.

2. [intransitive, transitive always + adverb/preposition] to hit an object or surface violently, or to make something do this:
A stolen car smashed into the bus.
He smashed his fist down on the table.

3. smash a record to do something much faster, better etc than anyone has done before:
The film smashed all box office records.

4. [transitive] to destroy something such as a political system or criminal organization:
Police say they have smashed a major crime ring.

5. [transitive] to hit a high ball with a strong downward action, in tennis or similar games
smash something ↔ down phrasal verb
to hit a door, wall etc violently so that it falls to the ground
smash something ↔ in phrasal verb
to hit something so violently that you break it and make a hole in it:
The door had been smashed in.
smash sb’s face/head in (=hit someone hard in the face or head)
I’ll smash his head in if he comes here again!
smash something ↔ up phrasal verb
to deliberately destroy something by hitting it:
Hooligans started smashing the place up.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. smash² noun

1. [countable] British English a serious road or railway accident – used especially in newspapers Synonym : crash:
Young boy hurt in car smash.

2. [countable] (also smash hit) a new film, song etc which is very successful:
a box-office smash (=a film which many people go to see at the cinema)

3. [countable] a hard downward shot in tennis or similar games

4. [singular] the loud sound of something breaking
smash of
He heard the smash of glass.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

smash
noun
I. breaking noisily into pieces
VERB + SMASH hear
PREP. with a ~ The plate hit the floor with a smash.
~ of He heard the smash of breaking glass.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

smash
II. car, etc. crash
ADJ. head-on | bus, car, train | motorway, road
VERB + SMASH have
PREP. in a/the ~ Four people were seriously injured in a head-on smash on the A45.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

smash
III. in tennis
ADJ. powerful | overhead
VERB + SMASH hit He can hit a powerful overhead smash.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

break verb [intransitive] to become damaged and separate into pieces:
Plastic breaks quite easily.
smash verb [intransitive] to break after being hit with a lot of force:
The bowl smashed as it hit the floor.
shatter verb [intransitive] to break into a lot of small pieces:
The glass shattered all over the pavement.
crack verb [intransitive] if something cracks, a line appears on the surface, which means that it could later break into separate pieces:
The ice was starting to crack.
burst verb [intransitive] if a tyre, balloon, pipe etc bursts, it gets a hole and air or liquid suddenly comes out of it:
She blew up the balloon until it burst.
split verb [intransitive] to break in a straight line:
The damp had caused the wood to split.
crumble verb [intransitive] to break into a powder or a lot of small pieces:
The cork just crumbled in my hand.
hole an empty space in the surface of something, which sometimes goes all the way through it:
A fox had dug a hole under our fence.
Rain was coming in through a hole in the roof.
space an empty area between two things, into which you can put something:
Are there any empty spaces on the bookshelf?
a parking space
gap an empty area between two things or two parts of something, especially one that should not be there:
He has a gap between his two front teeth.
I squeezed through a gap in the hedge.
opening a hole that something can pass through or that you can see through, especially at the entrance of something:
The train disappeared into the dark opening of the tunnel.
I looked through the narrow opening in the wall.
leak a small hole where something has been damaged or broken that lets liquid or gas flow in or out:
a leak in the pipe
The plumber's coming to repair the leak.
puncture especially British English a small hole in a tyre through which air escapes:
My bike's got a puncture.
slot a straight narrow hole that you put a particular type of object into:
You have to put a coin in the slot before you dial the number.
A small disk fits into a slot in the camera.
crater a round hole in the ground made by an explosion or by a large object hitting it hard:
a volcanic crater
The meteor left a crater over five miles wide.
the craters on the moon

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

break verb [transitive] to damage something and make it separate into pieces, for example by dropping it or hitting it:
Careful you don’t break the chair.
He broke his leg.
smash verb [transitive] to break something with a lot of force:
A policeman smashed his camera.
snap verb [transitive] to break something into two pieces, making a loud noise – used especially about long thin objects:
He snapped the sticks in two.
split verb [transitive] to separate something into two pieces along a straight line:
Using a sharp knife, split the melon in half.
fracture verb [transitive] to damage a bone, especially so that a line appears on the surface:
I fell over and fractured my wrist.
tear /teə $ ter/ verb [transitive] to damage paper or cloth by pulling it so that it separates into pieces:
She tore up the letter and put it in the bin.
I tore my jacket.
injury damage to part of your body caused by an accident or an attack:
The passengers were taken to hospital with minor injuries.
wound an injury, especially a deep cut in your skin made by a knife, bullet, or bomb:
He died of a gunshot wound to the head.
cut a small injury made when a sharp object cuts your skin:
Blood was running from a cut on his chin.
bruise a dark mark on your skin that you get when you fall or get hit:
Jack often comes home from playing rugby covered in bruises.
graze/scrape a small injury that marks your skin or breaks the surface slightly:
She fell off her bike and got a few grazes on her legs and knees.
gash a long deep cut:
He had a deep gash across his forehead.
bump an area of skin that is swollen because you have hit it against something:
How did you get that bump on your head?
sprain an injury to your ankle, wrist, knee etc, caused by suddenly twisting it:
It’s a slight sprain – you should rest your ankle for a week.
strain an injury to a muscle caused by stretching it or using it too much:
a muscle strain in his neck

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

break verb [transitive] to damage something and make it separate into pieces, for example by dropping it or hitting it:
Careful you don’t break the chair.
He broke his leg.
smash verb [transitive] to break something with a lot of force:
A policeman smashed his camera.
snap verb [transitive] to break something into two pieces, making a loud noise – used especially about long thin objects:
He snapped the sticks in two.
split verb [transitive] to separate something into two pieces along a straight line:
Using a sharp knife, split the melon in half.
fracture verb [transitive] to damage a bone, especially so that a line appears on the surface:
I fell over and fractured my wrist.
tear /teə $ ter/ verb [transitive] to damage paper or cloth by pulling it so that it separates into pieces:
She tore up the letter and put it in the bin.
I tore my jacket.
photograph a picture taken using a camera:
Visitors are not allowed to take photographs inside the museum.
our wedding photographs
photo informal a photograph:
a way of displaying your digital photos
Do you want me to take your photo?
picture a photograph of someone or something:
I saw her picture in the paper the other day.
This is a really good picture of Sarah.
Can I take your picture?
shot informal a photograph – used especially by people who often take photographs:
I got some great shots of Mount Fuji.
It's a lovely shot.
print a photograph that has been printed on photographic paper:
a set of 4 by 6 inch prints

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

break verb [transitive] to damage something and make it separate into pieces, for example by dropping it or hitting it:
Careful you don’t break the chair.
He broke his leg.
smash verb [transitive] to break something with a lot of force:
A policeman smashed his camera.
snap verb [transitive] to break something into two pieces, making a loud noise – used especially about long thin objects:
He snapped the sticks in two.
split verb [transitive] to separate something into two pieces along a straight line:
Using a sharp knife, split the melon in half.
fracture verb [transitive] to damage a bone, especially so that a line appears on the surface:
I fell over and fractured my wrist.
tear /teə $ ter/ verb [transitive] to damage paper or cloth by pulling it so that it separates into pieces:
She tore up the letter and put it in the bin.
I tore my jacket.
shatter verb [intransitive] to break into a lot of small pieces:
The glass shattered all over the pavement.
crack verb [intransitive] if something cracks, a line appears on the surface, which means that it could later break into separate pieces:
The ice was starting to crack.
burst verb [intransitive] if a tyre, balloon, pipe etc bursts, it gets a hole and air or liquid suddenly comes out of it:
She blew up the balloon until it burst.
crumble verb [intransitive] to break into a powder or a lot of small pieces:
The cork just crumbled in my hand.
have/take a break
After two hours, she took a break and switched on the radio.
need a break
I’m sorry, I can’t do any more - I need a break.
a short/quick break
Shall we have a quick five-minute break?
a lunch break
What time’s your lunch break?
a coffee/tea break
How about a coffee break?
a morning/afternoon break
I don’t usually have time for a morning break.
a well-earned break (=one that you deserve)
Everyone’s looking forward to a well-earned break when the exams are over.
vacation especially American English, holiday especially British English time you spend away from school or work:
Are you taking a vacation this summer?
We met on holiday in Cyprus.
What are you doing in the school holidays?
holiday a day that is set by law, when no one has to go to work or school:
the Thanksgiving holiday
New Year's Day is a national holiday.
In 2002, there was an extra public holiday to mark the Queen's golden jubilee.
the August bank holiday (=day when all the banks and shops are closed – used in British English)
leave a time when you are allowed not to work:
We get four weeks' annual leave (=paid time off work each year).
He has been taking a lot of sick leave (=time off work because you are ill) recently.
Angela is on maternity leave (= time off work when having a baby).
He was given compassionate leave (=time off work because someone close to you has died, is very ill etc) to go to his father's funeral.
sabbatical [usually singular] a period when someone, especially a teacher, stops doing their usual work in order to study or travel:
She was on sabbatical for six months.
I'm thinking of taking a sabbatical.
furlough a period of time when a soldier or someone working in another country can return to their own country as a holiday:
While on furlough, he and his girlfriend got married.
R & R (rest and relaxation) a holiday, especially one given to people in the army, navy etc after a long period of hard work or during a war:
Soldiers in Vietnam were taken to Hawaii for R & R.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲