Meaning & use
smash
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Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitive
To break something into pieces with a lot of force and noise.
Grammar: Can take an object (smash a window) or be used without one (the glass smashed).
Patterns
- smash something
- smash something into pieces
- smash something against something
The angry customer smashed the plate on the floor.
The vase fell and smashed into a hundred pieces.
He smashed the window with a rock.
verbtransitive
To hit something or someone very hard.
Grammar: Takes an object; often followed by a preposition like into, through, or against.
Patterns
- smash something into something
- smash someone in the face
- smash through something
The car smashed into the tree.
He smashed the ball over the fence.
The boxer smashed his opponent in the jaw.
nouncountable
A great and sudden popular success, especially a song, film, or show.
Grammar: Often used in the phrase 'smash hit'.
Patterns
- a smash hit
- be a smash
Her new song was a smash and topped the charts for weeks.
The movie was a smash at the box office.
The play became a smash on Broadway.
Word forms
| third person singular | smashes |
|---|---|
| past tense | smashed |
| past participle | smashed |
| -ing form | smashing |
| plural | smashes |
Common combinations
- smash a window
- The burglar smashed a window to get in.
- smash into
- The truck smashed into the barrier.
- smash hit
- The song was a smash hit all over the world.
- smash records
- The athlete smashed the world record in the 100 meters.
Synonyms and how they differ
- break
- More general; can be gentle or accidental, while smash suggests violence and noise.
- shatter
- Used for glass or brittle things breaking into many tiny pieces; smash can be used for any forceful break.
- crash
- Often used for vehicles hitting something; smash is more general for hitting or breaking.
Opposites
Word family
- smashing adjective
- Informal British: excellent or very good (e.g., a smashing time).
- smashed adjective
- Informal: very drunk.
Commonly confused: smash or smash?
smash vs smash
Do not confuse with 'smash' meaning a great success (noun) and 'smash' meaning to break (verb).
Practice
Choose the correct sentence:
Choose one answer.
Choice C correctly uses 'smash' with an instrument ('with a hammer'). Choice B is wrong because 'to the floor' is not the right preposition; we say 'on the floor' or 'against the floor'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “smash”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.