Definition of “crash” - English Dictionary

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“crash” in English

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crashverb

uk ​ /kræʃ/ us ​ /kræʃ/

crash verb (HAVE AN ACCIDENT)

B1 [ I or T ] If a vehicle crashes or someone crashes it, it is involved in an accident, usually a serious one in which the vehicle is damaged and someone is hurt:

We skidded on the ice and crashed.
The plane crashed into a mountainside.
Her brother borrowed her motorbike and crashed it.

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crash verb (MAKE A NOISE)

› [ I or T, usually + adv/prep ] to hit something, often making a loud noise or causing damage:

We could hear waves crashing on/against the shore.
Suddenly, cymbals crashed and the orchestra began playing.
A dog came crashing through the bushes.
Without warning, the tree crashed through the roof.

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

Idiom(s)

crash and burn

Phrasal verb(s)

crash out

crashnoun [ C ]

uk ​ /kræʃ/ us ​ /kræʃ/

crash noun [ C ] (ACCIDENT)

B1 an accident involving a vehicle, usually a serious one in which the vehicle is damaged or someone is hurt:

a car crash
She had a crash on the way to work.
They were only slightly injured in the crash.

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crashadjective [ before noun ]

uk ​ /kræʃ/ us ​ /kræʃ/ UK informal

(Definition of “crash” from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

“crash” in American English

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crashnoun [ C ]

us ​ /kræʃ/

crash noun [ C ] (ACCIDENT)

› a serious accident in which one or more cars, trucks, or other vehicles hit something, or in which an aircraft hits the ground or another aircraft:

She was killed in an airplane crash in 1983.

crash noun [ C ] (NOISE)

› a loud noise that sounds as if it is caused by something violently breaking apart or hitting something else:

There was a loud crash, and we rushed over to see what had fallen.

crash noun [ C ] (FAILURE)

› a sudden loss of value of investments, or a failure of a business

crashverb

us ​ /kræʃ/

crash verb (GO WHERE NOT INVITED)

› [ T ] infml to go to a party or other event without an invitation:

Some guys tried to crash the party but they weren’t allowed in.

crash verb (SLEEP)

› [ I ] slang to sleep, or to stay at a place to sleep temporarily:

I was so tired after work, I crashed on the sofa.

crash verb (NOISE)

› [ always + adv/prep ] to fall or hit something in a noisy or violent way:

[ I ] All the dishes the waitress was carrying crashed to the floor.

› [ always + adv/prep ] To crash is also to move in a noisy or violent way:

[ I ] A big black bear came crashing through the underbrush.

crash verb (FAIL)

› [ I ] (of investments) to lose value, or (of a business) to lose money and be unable to continue to operate:

When the market crashed, everyone lost money.

› [ I ] If a computer crashes, it suddenly stops operating.

crash verb (HIT VIOLENTLY)

› [ I/T ] (of a vehicle on the ground) to hit another vehicle or a large object violently, or (of an aircraft) to fall and violently hit the ground, a building, etc., or hit another aircraft while flying:

[ I ] The plane crashed into the mountainside, killing all aboard.

crashadjective

us ​ /kræʃ/ infml

crash adjective (QUICK)

› involving great effort to achieve a lot quickly:

took a crash course in cooking

› A crash diet is a way of losing body weight quickly by eating very little.

(Definition of “crash” from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

“crash” in Business English

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crashnoun [ C ]

uk ​ /kræʃ/ us ​

› ECONOMICS a sudden serious fall in the value of something, for example, of shares or of a particular area of business:

A crash in China could also affect the global economy if the country's demand for imports and raw materials drops sharply.
They had lost all their money in the Wall Street Crash of 1929.
The stock market crash has had a major impact, with many investors still nursing big losses.
crash in sth The crash in the property market has led to many houses being repossessed by mortgage companies.

› IT a sudden failure of a computer or system:

Wednesday's state computer crash created far more problems than officials first realized.

crashverb

uk ​ /kræʃ/ us ​

› [ I ] ECONOMICS, FINANCE to suddenly lose value, in a way that is serious:

crash from sth to sth Its share price has crashed from nearly £7 in November to just £0.50.
Most experts agree that the market crashed because of unbridled speculation, low margins, and a lack of government oversight.

› [ I or T ] IT if a computer or system crashes, or if someone or something crashes it, it suddenly stops working:

The server crashed twice and we had no idea why.
The message will highlight the error that crashed the computer.

(Definition of “crash” from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

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