# bash

/ˈbæʃ/ (US) · /bˈæʃ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/bash
Updated: 2026-08-08

## Senses

### 1. to hit hard

verb · CEFR B1 · Informal

to hit something or someone very hard.

For teachers: to strike with a heavy, forceful blow.

- He had to bash the door with his shoulder to get it open.
- The waves continued to bash against the pier, eventually loosening the wooden planks during the height of the storm.

### 2. to criticize

verb · CEFR B2 · Informal

to criticize someone or something in a very strong or unfair way.

For teachers: to criticize harshly or attack verbally, often in a public or repetitive manner.

- The newspapers started to bash the government for the new tax laws.
- Political commentators spent the evening bashing the candidate's performance, focusing entirely on his minor verbal slips rather than his policy proposals.

### 3. a party

noun · CEFR B1 · Informal

a large, exciting party or celebration.

For teachers: a large social event or celebratory party.

- They are throwing a big bash for his fiftieth birthday next week.
- The charity hosted a star-studded bash at the hotel to raise funds for the new children's wing of the hospital.

### 4. an attempt

noun · CEFR B2 · British English · Informal

an attempt at doing something, especially if you are not sure you will succeed.

For teachers: an attempt or try at a particular task or activity.

- I have never played golf before, but I will have a bash at it.
- Even though she lacked formal training in coding, she decided to have a bash at building her own website over the weekend.

### 5. computing shell

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

a common computer program used to give commands to a computer, especially on Linux.

For teachers: a widely used Unix shell and command language, serving as the default shell for many Linux distributions.

- You can write a simple bash script to automate your daily backups.
- The system administrator updated the bash profile to include several new environment variables for the development team.

Usage: Often capitalized as 'Bash' when referring to the specific software.

## Examples

- I need to open Bash to run this script.
- The developer wrote a simple Bash script to automate the backup of all database files every midnight.
- Proficiency in Bash is often considered a prerequisite for system administrators, as it allows for the seamless orchestration of complex server-side tasks through piping and redirection.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.