ENGLISH
REFERENCE

crash out

phr. v..
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford

phr. v.. to fall asleep very quickly because you are extremely tired. In slang, it can also mean to lose your temper or fail badly.

phr. v.. to fall into a deep sleep suddenly due to exhaustion; in contemporary slang, to lose composure, fail a challenge, or behave erratically under pressure.


SIMPLE

I was so tired after the hike that I crashed out at 8 p.m.

CONTEXTUAL

After studying for twelve hours straight, he just crashed out on the sofa without even taking his shoes off.

COMPLEX

The athlete appeared to crash out during the final lap, losing his lead and eventually finishing last in a surprising turn of events.

Particles
out
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
crash + out
Usage

usually used without an object to describe falling asleep; the slang sense is common in online gaming and social media.

Teaching tip

distinguish between the literal 'exhaustion' sense and the modern slang sense of 'losing it' or 'failing'; the latter is very popular with Gen Z and Alpha learners.

Pitfall

I crashed out the bed.I crashed out on the bed.this phrasal verb is intransitive and does not take a direct object; you need a preposition to describe the location.

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