smash
/smaʃ
/verb
1 [with object] Violently break (something) into pieces: the thief smashed a window to get into the car gone are the days when he smashed up hotels...
- A crowd of youths ran riot on The Inch estate, engaging in running street battles, smashing windows and breaking into cars.
- Thieves had attempted to break through the front door of building before smashing a stained glass window.
- Barry takes out his frustration by breaking and smashing things or randomly bursting into tears.
1.1 [no object] Be violently broken into pieces; shatter: the glass ball smashed instantly on the pavement...
- The mirror shattered instantly, smashing to the ground with a thunderous crash.
- The glass shattered as it smashed against the floorboards.
- Calissa fell to the floor, her glass of wine smashing into a hundred pieces.
1.2Violently knock down or crush inwards: soldiers smashed down doors...
- Twice in the past five years, in different parts of Britain, I have been in a gay pub when the window has been smashed in, on one occasion showering me and my drink with broken glass.
- When Gardaí returned to the vehicle, three of its windows had been smashed in with rocks.
- They then smashed down a shutter but were unable to gain access to the safe because it was time-locked and they were forced to leave empty-handed.
Synonyms
crash into, collide with, be in collision with, hit, strike, ram, smack into, slam into, bang into, plough into, meet head-on, run into, drive into, bump into, crack into/against;
dash against;
North American impact
1.3Crash and severely damage (a vehicle): my Land Rover’s been smashed up...
- Police and tax officials watched stunned as a white van man smashed up his vehicle on a York street rather than hand it over to road tax enforcers.
- Thousands of pounds of damage has been inflicted on her property - her car has been smashed up more than a dozen times.
- She says that the insurance inspector has evidence that all the times that he's smashed up the car over the last year haven't been accidents.
Synonyms
crash, wreck;
British write off
British informal prang
North American informal total
1.4Hit or attack (someone) very violently: Donald smashed him over the head...
- Lads were taking turns to give him a right going over, smashing him in the face with weapons and stamping on him.
- He was pretty horrible so I hope that I smashed him over the head with something heavy, grabbed my car keys and made a swift getaway, but you never know with dreams.
- A struggle ensued and he was smashed over the head with a revolver.
Synonyms
hit, strike, thump, punch, cuff, smack, thwack
informal whack, belt, bash, biff, bop, clout, wallop, swipe, sock, lam, crown, whomp, deck, floor
British informal stick one on, slosh, dot
North American informal boff, bust, slug, whale
Australian/New Zealand informal dong, quilt
literary smite, swinge
1.5Easily or comprehensively beat (a record): he smashed the course record...
- He started in the red and ran accordingly, smashing the course record despite carrying 62 kg.
- It had been a devastating blow: until that moment she had been more than five days ahead of schedule and on course to smash the record.
- The Midlander, who smashed the course record with a 61 in the first round, is attached to the club and his caddie, Roy Robinson, is a member of Hopwood.
1.6Completely defeat, destroy, or foil (something regarded as hostile or dangerous): a deliberate attempt to smash the trade union movement...
- I know that a lot of people in Yorkshire will always blame Nottinghamshire for the outcome but the man who smashed the greatest union this country has ever seen was Arthur Scargill.
- The Howard government was involved in a conspiracy with stevedoring companies to smash the Maritime Union of Australia several years ago.
Synonyms
destroy, wreck, ruin, shatter, dash, crush, devastate, demolish, blast, blight, wipe out, overturn, torpedo, scotch;
burst someone's bubble
informal put the kibosh on, banjax, do for, blow a hole in, nix, put paid to, queer
British informal scupper, dish
archaic bring to naught
1.7 [no object] informal, dated (Of a business) go bankrupt; fail financially: a firm that had smashed for so tremendous an amount
2 [no object, with adverbial of direction] Move so as to hit or collide with something with great force and impact: their plane smashed into a mountainside...
- Rain is slashing slantwise, mixing with spray from waves smashing into jetty walls.
- As he fell face-first his mouth smashed against the hard corner of the table, chipping a front tooth.
- As the waves smashed against the pillars of the floating barge, I noticed the driftwood that was totally at the mercy of the current.
2.1 [with object and adverbial of direction] (In sport) strike (the ball) or score (a goal, run, etc.) with great force: he smashed home the Tranmere winner...
- O'Neill bagged the first of his five goals when smashing the ball to the back of the Roanmore net with a fine effort after receiving a pass from Michael King and this goal came after nine minutes.
- The third goal was scored by Charlotte Bolan, who smashed the ball in after Nicola Rawlinson's shot had been blocked by a defender.
- Then Kahn makes a wonder save with his legs as Roberto Carlos's low cross is deflected to Ronaldo, who twists on a sixpence and smashes the ball towards the goal.
2.2 [with object] (In tennis, badminton, and similar sports) strike (the ball or shuttlecock) downwards with a hard overarm volley.Woosnam is at the top of a sport that has changed enormously since he first played, a determined farmer's boy who loved to smash the ball as hard as he could....
- Someone passed me the ball, I jumped up as high as possible and smashed the ball as hard as I could.
- Lucas smashed his squash ball hard against the wall with his racket.
noun
1An act or sound of something smashing: he heard the smash of glass...
- Shrugging Antonio started to walk by the room when he heard the smash of something that sounded like glass.
- Then, I heard the smash of someone breaking the small pane of glass next to the door.
- Miss Ul Haq said Syed put his hands up to protect himself, she heard a smash and Mr Derbsyhire ran into the pub.
Synonyms
breaking, shattering, crashing, crash
1.1British A violent collision or impact between vehicles: a car smash...
- If we had capsized we would have had to survive the impact of a car smash, get out, and then get to the boat.
- A woman lies trapped in an upturned station wagon, numb from the impact of a car smash.
- Police said the car was forced on to its side by the impact of the smash, but the driver made off when the vehicle fell back onto four wheels.
Synonyms
crash, multiple crash, car crash, collision, multiple collision, accident, car accident, road accident, traffic accident, road traffic accident, bump;
British RTA;
North American wreck
informal pile-up, smash-up
British informal prang, shunt
1.2A violent blow: a forearm smash...
- So we may look forward once again to the forearm smash being deployed at the line-out by the master of that particular black art.
- The Duke took this as a good sign and attempted to walk around the Marvel once more and was met for his troubles with a forearm smash to the chest that almost knocked him off his feet.
- A forearm smash from Richard Morales earned him an instant red.
1.3A stroke in tennis, badminton, and similar sports in which the ball or shuttlecock is hit downwards with a hard overarm volley.A smash in badminton is more like a punch in boxing than a smash in tennis....
- In tennis, there is the forehand, the backhand, the overhead smash and the drop volley, all with a different grip.
- Henman attacks Sanchez's serve from the outset and gets the first break of the match with a chip and charge, a deft volley and an impressive smash.
2 (also smash hit) informal A very successful song, film, show, or performer: a box office smash...
- The ad, for John Smith's bitter, sees Kay return to his table with a tray of drinks in a packed nightclub as the crooner performs his smash hit Release Me.
- When he auditioned he did not realise until later that the backing track he had recorded at the audition was the smash hit Lola.
- The smash hit disco film is to finish a 17-week run at Studio 1 and 2.
Synonyms
great success, sensation, sell-out, triumph;
French succès fou
informal hit, smash hit, winner, crowd-puller, knockout, wow, biggie
3A mixture of spirits (typically brandy) with flavoured water and ice.Have a smash of the brandy before it's all gone.
4 informal, dated A bankruptcy or financial failure.The consequence, as you might surmise, was an impressive series of financial smashes in my early twenties.
adverb
With a sudden, violent shattering: they were together for an instant, and then smash it was all gone
Phrases
go to smash
Origin
Early 18th century (as a noun): probably imitative, representing a blend of words such as smack, smite with bash, mash, etc..