1
as in shatters
to cause to break with violence and much noise
the drunken guest deliberately smashed a glass against the brick fireplace
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in demolishes
to cause to break open or into pieces by or as if by an explosive
the firecracker smashed the clay pot
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in destroys
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of
the invading troops smashed the resistance and went on to conquer the country
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in slams
to come into usually forceful contact with something
we nearly smashed into each other on the skating rink
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in collisions
a forceful coming together of two things
the awful smash when his dreams got hit by reality
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in crashes
the violent coming together of two bodies into destructive contact
the sound of the smash made all of the bystanders immediately whip their heads around
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in blows
a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument
she gave the tennis ball a smash and sent it flying over the other side of the net
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in claps
a loud explosive sound
the bikes collided with a huge smash
Synonyms & Similar Words
5
as in hits
a person or thing that is successful
the new Broadway musical is a smash
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of smashes
Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2025
As several women listen intently, Belushi, donning a toga, rips the guitar out of Bishop's hands and smashes it into a wall.
—Mark Gray, PEOPLE, 5 Oct. 2025
The ball smashes into the floodlights, and Hobbs sets off on his victory trot, in slow motion, with sparks cascading behind him like fireworks.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2025
In the United Kingdom, as fans wait for something new from the global pop star, one of her earlier career smashes returns to the top 40 and becomes a bestseller again.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
At a single, two-minute dinner, Hermann Kafka smashes a cockroach while denigrating his son’s engagement to Felice Bauer before reiterating his distaste for Franz’s writing.
—Sam Bodrojan, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2025
There’s no time to get your bearings; an EDM drop smashes everything to pieces, then a pained voice croons in the rubble while drunkenly mashing a detuned guitar.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 27 Aug. 2025
The recent radio data uncovered delicate filaments aligned with magnetic fields, likely created as the pulsar wind smashes into leftover material from the stellar explosion.
—Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Antonia smashes the conch—a very tough meat—into thin slices.
—Peter Kelly, Travel + Leisure, 18 Aug. 2025
Brian Welk, IndieWire, 20 Oct. 2025
In addition, the penthouse of the Hot 100 has been unusually stagnant over the past year, with smashes remaining in the top 10 for months on end.
—Jason Lipshutz, Billboard, 2 Oct. 2025
Both smashes have spent 276 weeks on the chart as of this frame.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
In some cases, these cake smashes have even ended in disaster or divorce.
—Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 11 Sep. 2025
Verb
As Richard tries to kill Carrie, Sigrid shoots him in the shoulder and Lo smashes him in the face with a piece of boating equipment.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2025
As several women listen intently, Belushi, donning a toga, rips the guitar out of Bishop's hands and smashes it into a wall.
—Mark Gray, PEOPLE, 5 Oct. 2025
The ball smashes into the floodlights, and Hobbs sets off on his victory trot, in slow motion, with sparks cascading behind him like fireworks.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2025
In the United Kingdom, as fans wait for something new from the global pop star, one of her earlier career smashes returns to the top 40 and becomes a bestseller again.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
At a single, two-minute dinner, Hermann Kafka smashes a cockroach while denigrating his son’s engagement to Felice Bauer before reiterating his distaste for Franz’s writing.
—Sam Bodrojan, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2025
There’s no time to get your bearings; an EDM drop smashes everything to pieces, then a pained voice croons in the rubble while drunkenly mashing a detuned guitar.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 27 Aug. 2025
The recent radio data uncovered delicate filaments aligned with magnetic fields, likely created as the pulsar wind smashes into leftover material from the stellar explosion.
—Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Antonia smashes the conch—a very tough meat—into thin slices.
—Peter Kelly, Travel + Leisure, 18 Aug. 2025
Noun
They’re not exactly meant to be box office smashes.
—Brian Welk, IndieWire, 20 Oct. 2025
In addition, the penthouse of the Hot 100 has been unusually stagnant over the past year, with smashes remaining in the top 10 for months on end.
—Jason Lipshutz, Billboard, 2 Oct. 2025
Both smashes have spent 276 weeks on the chart as of this frame.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
In some cases, these cake smashes have even ended in disaster or divorce.
—Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 11 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smashes
Verb
-
Tessa Ia leads the series as Valeria Goldberg, a young woman in a Jewish-Mexican community who makes a mistake that shatters her world and forces her into a desperate fight to find her missing children.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
17 Oct. 2025
-
In a small town like Harding, a crime involving local children of local families shatters the relatively placid and usually numb routines of daily life.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
If the city demolishes the building, the costs will be assessed to the property owner.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Each participant had lost central vision in one eye due to dry AMD, which destroys light-sensitive macular cells over time.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
20 Oct. 2025
-
An arson fire destroys the 43-year-old Globe Theatre on March 8 (the arsonist was never caught, but a firebug had set several blazes in the park that winter).—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Comedian Bill Maher suggests New York City Mayoral Candidate Zohran Mamdani should renounce his Ugandan dual citizenship over the country’s record on LGBTQ+ rights, and slams the democratic candidate for his recent meeting with a New York Imam, also criticized for his stance on gay rights.—
The Hill,
The Hill,
27 Oct. 2025
-
Once the truck begins driving straight, the beige SUV speeds up and slams into the truck’s back-left side.—
Eric Levenson,
CNN Money,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The changing gravitational field as a star sheds mass can disrupt the planets' orbits, resulting in many collisions between asteroids, comets and surviving planets and moons over billions of years that can grind solid bodies down to dust and small chunks.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Just this month, the regulator opened a new inquiry into dozens of reports that Teslas with FSD engaged had violated traffic laws, with some of these incidents leading to collisions and injuries.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
But most deer versus vehicle crashes are the result of breeding season, when bucks are active and increasing their movement.—
Craig Shoup,
Nashville Tennessean,
27 Oct. 2025
-
Three people were killed and one injured in three vehicle crashes on Arkansas roads on Wednesday and Friday, according to preliminary police reports.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
26 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Combs has seen a series of blows to his legal case in the past several weeks.—
Kevin Dolak,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Oct. 2025
-
Once the final frame got underway, chaos ensued as the undefeated NEPSAC programs traded blows.—
Brendan Connelly,
Boston Herald,
26 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Stewart said to massive claps from the audience.—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
20 Oct. 2025
-
Owen Wilson’s Stick has been renewed for a second season; the news was likely received to just mild golf claps among the online golfing community.—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
26 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Smashes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smashes. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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