verb

crash

/kræʃ/ · say it: KRASH

a sudden severe fall in prices

In From the Business Pages

In more detail

1. (verb) to hit something with force and cause damage, or to have an accident

2. (verb) to fall suddenly or stop working completely (used for computers or systems)

3. (noun) a loud sound of something breaking or hitting

4. (noun) an accident involving vehicles or aircraft

5. (verb) to go to sleep very suddenly because you are extremely tired

Examples

1. The car crashed into a tree.
2. My computer crashed and I lost all my work.
3. We heard a loud crash from the kitchen.

How to use crash

Crash is a versatile informal word with both transitive and intransitive uses. It typically conveys sudden violent impact (crash into a wall), abrupt system failure (the server crashed), or colloquial exhaustion (crash after a long day). In formal contexts, alternatives like collide, malfunction, or accident are preferred; crash is common in technical jargon (system crash) and everyday speech.

Common phrases

crash into
crash course
crash site
stock market crash
computer crash
crash land

Synonyms

collide · smash · slam · plunge · fail

Word family

crashed · crashing · crasher · crashing (adjective)

A common mistake

Learners often use crash as a noun when crash as a verb would be more natural in English (say 'the car crashed' rather than 'the car had a crash'), though the noun form is perfectly acceptable.

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