crash Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a loud resonant repeating noise
    clank; clash; clangour; clangoring; clang; clangor.
    • he could hear the clang of distant bells
  2. noun a serious accident (usually involving one or more vehicles)
    wreck.
    • they are still investigating the crash of the TWA plane
  3. noun a sudden large decline of business or the prices of stocks (especially one that causes additional failures)
    collapse.
  4. noun the act of colliding with something
    smash.
    • his crash through the window
    • the fullback's smash into the defensive line
  5. noun (computer science) an event that causes a computer system to become inoperative
    • the crash occurred during a thunderstorm and the system has been down ever since
  6. verb fall or come down violently
    • The branch crashed down on my car
    • The plane crashed in the sea
  7. verb move with, or as if with, a crashing noise
    • The car crashed through the glass door
  8. verb undergo damage or destruction on impact
    ram.
    • the plane crashed into the ocean
    • The car crashed into the lamp post
  9. verb move violently as through a barrier
    • The terrorists crashed the gate
  10. verb break violently or noisily; smash;
    break apart; break up.
  11. verb occupy, usually uninvited
    • My son's friends crashed our house last weekend
  12. verb make a sudden loud sound
    • the waves crashed on the shore and kept us awake all night
  13. verb enter uninvited; informal
    gate-crash; barge in.
    • let's crash the party!
  14. verb cause to crash
    • The terrorists crashed the plane into the palace
    • Mother crashed the motorbike into the lamppost
  15. verb hurl or thrust violently
    dash.
    • He dashed the plate against the wall
    • Waves were dashing against the rock
  16. verb undergo a sudden and severe downturn
    • the economy crashed
    • will the stock market crash again?
  17. verb stop operating
    go down.
    • My computer crashed last night
    • The system goes down at least once a week
  18. verb sleep in a convenient place
    doss; doss down.
    • You can crash here, though it's not very comfortable

WordNet

Crash transitive verb
Etymology
OE. crashen, the same word as crasen to break, E. craze. See Craze.
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Crashed present participle & verbal noun Crashing
Definitions
  1. To break in pieces violently; to dash together with noise and violence. R.
    He shakt his head, and crasht his teeth for ire. Fairfax.
Crash intransitive verb
Definitions
  1. To make a loud, clattering sound, as of many things falling and breaking at once; to break in pieces with a harsh noise.
    Roofs were blazing and walls crashing in every part of the city. Macualay.
  2. To break with violence and noise; as, the chimney in falling crashed through the roof.
Crash noun
Definitions
  1. A loud, sudden, confused sound, as of manu things falling and breaking at once.
    The wreck of matter and the crash of worlds. Addison.
  2. Ruin; failure; sudden breaking down, as of a business house or a commercial enterprise.
Crash noun
Etymology
L. crassus coarse. See Crass.
Definitions
  1. Coarse, heavy, narrow linen cloth, used esp. for towels.

Webster 1913