Meaning & use
a collision
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
An accident in which a moving object hits another object or person.
Grammar: Countable; use 'a collision' or 'collisions'.
Patterns
- a collision between something and something
- a collision with something
- in a collision
The two cars were badly damaged in a collision on the highway.
There was a collision between a bus and a bicycle at the intersection.
The pilot avoided a collision with a flock of birds.
nouncountablefigurative
A strong disagreement or conflict between people or ideas.
Grammar: Often used with 'between' or 'with'.
Patterns
- a collision of ideas
- a collision between two groups
The meeting ended in a collision of opinions over the budget.
There was a collision between the two departments about the new policy.
Word forms
| plural | collisions |
|---|
Common combinations
- head-on collision
- The head-on collision closed the road for hours.
- midair collision
- The two planes nearly had a midair collision.
- collision course
- The ship was on a collision course with the iceberg.
- avoid a collision
- The driver braked hard to avoid a collision.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- collide verb
- To hit something while moving.
Commonly confused: a collision or collusion?
a collision vs collusion
Collusion means secret cooperation for a dishonest purpose; collision is a physical crash.
Practice
The insurance company paid for the damage caused by the ______ between the two trucks.
Choose one answer.
'Collision' is the correct noun for a crash. 'Collusion' means secret cooperation, 'collision course' is a phrase meaning a path that will lead to a crash, and 'collide' is a verb.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a collision”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.