collide
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
to hit something or someone by accident while moving.
to strike one another or another object with a direct, often violent, impact while in motion.
Simple“The two cyclists collided at the corner because neither was looking.”
In context“The two ships collided in the dense fog, resulting in significant structural damage to both hulls despite their low speed.”
UsageIntransitive; typically takes the preposition 'with' when an object follows.
PitfallThe car collided against a tree. The car collided with a tree.Use the preposition 'with' after collide to indicate what was hit.
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
when two different ideas, interests, or people disagree strongly.
to come into strong conflict or opposition; to be fundamentally incompatible.
Simple“Their opinions often collide during staff meetings, leading to long arguments.”
In context“The senator's personal interests collided with his public duties, creating a significant ethical dilemma for the committee.”
UsageOften used to describe abstract concepts like cultures, interests, or personalities.
- 03 C1 Advanced
to meet or come together, sometimes in a surprising way.
to meet or come into contact; used in a more abstract or elevated style to describe a convergence.
Simple“In the busy city, thousands of different lives collide every single day.”
In context“The novel explores a world where ancient traditions and modern technology collide in unexpected ways.”
“A Volkswagen Passat was travelling the wrong way down the A66 near Middlesbrough and collided with a police vehicle on the same road going in the right direction, Cleveland Police said.”
“About 12 billion years ago, a dwarf galaxy known as LKH collided with a young Milky Way and merged with it.”
From Latin collidere (“to strike or clash together”), from com- (“together”) + laedere (“to strike, dash against, hurt”); see lesion.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.