crash
- 01 A2 Elementary
n.an accident where a vehicle hits something else.
n.a violent collision involving one or more vehicles, such as cars, planes, or trains.
Simple“The driver was lucky to walk away from the car crash without any injuries.”
In context“Emergency services arrived at the scene of the multi-car crash within minutes to assist those trapped in the wreckage.”
- 02 B1 Intermediate
n.a sudden, very loud sound like something breaking or hitting the floor.
n.a sudden, loud, and resonant sound, typically produced by a physical impact or the clashing of objects.
Simple“We heard a loud crash in the kitchen and found a broken plate on the floor.”
In context“A sudden crash of thunder startled the hikers, signaling that the storm was much closer than they had anticipated.”
- 03 B1 Intermediate
n.when a computer or a program suddenly stops working.
n.a sudden failure of a software application or operating system that causes it to cease functioning.
Simple“I lost all my unsaved work because of a sudden system crash.”
In context“The server crash was attributed to a memory leak that had gone undetected during the initial beta testing phase.”
- 04 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a sudden and dangerous drop in the value of a market or business.
n.a sudden and significant decline in the value of stocks or the overall economy.
Simple“Many people lost their savings during the stock market crash.”
In context“Economists warned that the housing bubble might lead to a market crash similar to the one experienced a decade ago.”
- 05 A2 Elementary
v.to hit something hard by accident, often causing damage.
v.to collide violently with an obstacle or another moving object. Often used intransitively with 'into'.
Simple“The waves crashed against the rocks all night long.”
In context“The stolen vehicle eventually crashed into a concrete barrier after a high-speed pursuit through the city centre.”
- 06 B1 Intermediate
v.to sleep somewhere quickly because you are very tired, or to stay at a friend's house for the night.
v.to go to sleep, often suddenly due to exhaustion, or to stay temporarily at a place not one's own.
Simple“I was so tired after the flight that I crashed on the sofa for three hours.”
In context“Since it was already past midnight, my friend let me crash at his apartment instead of driving home.”
Synonymssleepdoze - 07 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to go to a party or event when you were not invited.
v.to attend a social gathering or event without an invitation or prior permission.
Simple“We didn't have tickets, but we managed to crash the wedding reception.”
In context“Several uninvited guests tried to crash the private gallery opening, but security turned them away at the door.”
Synonymsgatecrashintrude - 08 B1 Intermediate
adj.done very quickly and with a lot of effort to learn something in a short time.
adj.characterised by an intensive and rapid effort to achieve a goal or learn a skill.
Simple“I took a crash course in Italian before my trip to Rome.”
In context“The team underwent a crash training program to familiarise themselves with the new software before the official launch date.”
Synonyms
“Recently, a UK teenager using one of these crashed and killed his 14-year-old friend on a busy road - one of 59 deaths involving e-scooters in the UK to date.”
“In July 1999, the day after John F Kennedy Jr died in a plane crash, she booked herself some flying lessons.”
From Middle English crasshen, crasschen, craschen (“to break into pieces”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps from a variant of earlier crasken, from crasen (“to break”) + -k (formative suffix); or from earlier craskien, *craksien, a variant of craken (“to crack, break open”) (for form development compare break, brask, brash).
Uncertain; perhaps compare Russian крашени́на (krašenína, “coarse linen”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.