crash - Wiktionary, the free dictionary (original) (raw)

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

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).

crash (plural crashes)

  1. A sudden, intense, loud sound, as made for example by cymbals.
    The piece ended in a crescendo, building up to a crash of cymbals.
    After the lightning came the crash of thunder.
  2. An automobile, airplane, or other vehicle accident.
    She broke two bones in her body in a car crash.
    Nobody survived the plane crash.
  3. (computing) A malfunction of computer software or hardware which causes it to shut down or become partially or totally inoperable.
    Synonym: abend
    My computer had a crash so I had to reboot it.
  4. (finance) A sudden large decline in the value of money, stocks or other assets, etc., especially one that causes additional economic difficulties.
    Synonym: meltdown
    the stock market crash
  5. (informal) A comedown from a drug.
  6. (collective) A group of rhinoceroses.
    • p. 1991, Patrick F. McManus, “Nincompoopery and Other Group Terms”, in The Grasshopper Trap, Henry Holt and Company, →ISBN, page 103
      One of my favorites among the terms of groups of creatures is a crash of rhinoceros. I can imagine an African guide saying to his client, “Shoot, dammit, shoot! Here comes the whole bloody crash of rhinoceros!”
      […] Personally, I think I’d just as soon come across a crash of rhinoceros as a knot of toad.
    • 1998, E. Melanie Watt, Black Rhinos, page 19:
      The largest group of black rhinos reported was made up of 13 individuals. A group of rhinos is called a crash.
    • 1999, Edward Osborne Wilson, The Diversity of Life, page 126:
      Out in the water a crash of rhinoceros-like animals browse belly deep through a bed of aquatic plants.
    • 2003, Claude Herve-Bazin, Judith Farr, Kenya and Tanzania, page 23:
      The crash of rhinoceros at Tsavo now numbers almost 200.
  7. (ecology) A sudden decline in any living form's population levels, often leading to extinction.

loud sound

vehicle accident

computer malfunction

sudden large decline of business

crash (not comparable)

  1. Quick, fast, intensive, impromptu.
    crash diet

crash (third-person singular simple present crashes, present participle crashing, simple past and past participle crashed)

  1. (intransitive) To collide with something destructively; to fall or come down violently.
    When the car crashed into a house, the driver was heavily injured.
    After driving into a tree last week, grandpa's crashed into a deer this morning.
  2. (transitive) To cause something to collide with something else, especially when this results in damage.
    I'm sorry for crashing the bike into a wall. I'll pay for repairs.
  3. (transitive) To hit or strike with force.
    • 2016 June 11, Phil McNulty, “England 1-1 Russia”, in BBC Sport‎[1]:
      Roy Hodgson's side were dominant and fully merited the lead given to them when Eric Dier crashed a 20-yard free-kick high past keeper Igor Akinfeev with 17 minutes left.
    • 2022, John Nogowski, Last Time Out: Big-League Farewells of Baseball's Greats, page 8:
      Even the staid New York Times was gushing: “Rising to the glorious heights of his heyday, Babe Ruth, the Sultan of Swat, crashed out three home runs against the Pittsburgh Pirates Saturday afternoon but it was not enough."
  4. To make a sudden loud noise.
    Thunder crashed directly overhead.
  5. (ambitransitive, slang) Ellipsis of gatecrash. [from 1920s]
    We weren't invited to the party so we decided to crash it.
    • 2019 November 8, Dan Shive, El Goonish Shive (webcomic), Comic for Friday, Nov 8, 2019:
      "Anyway, sorry about crashing. I know you're doing a sort of 'talk freely about magic' thing, and I don't have any of my own, but..."
  6. (transitive, management) To accelerate a project or a task or its schedule by devoting more resources to it.
    • 2008, Rick A. Morris with Brette McWhorter Sember, Project management that works, page 109:
      Using the project plan, the team started to work out different scenarios to crash the schedule and bring the date to the regulatory deadline.
  7. (intransitive, slang) To make or experience informal temporary living arrangements, especially overnight.
    Hey dude, can I crash at your pad?
    • 2017, Adam Kay, This Is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor:
      Then before you know it you’ve missed the last train back and you’re crashing on the sofa.
  8. (transitive, slang) To give, as a favor.
    • 2005, Charlie Williams, Fags and Lager, page 29:
      'I been pissin' blood,' he said, grinning. Then frowning. 'Crash us a tenner, eh?'
    • 2014, David Mitchell, The Bone Clocks, →ISBN, page 99:
      Crash us a cancer stick, Fitz: I could bloody murder a fag, as I delight in telling Americans
    • 2015, Lucy Diamond, Summer at Shell Cottage, →ISBN:
      'I'll show you what needs doing. But first..." She hesitated. 'I don't suppose you could crash me a ciggy, while you're here, could you?'
  9. (intransitive, slang) To lie down for a long rest, sleep or nap, as from tiredness or exhaustion. [from 1940s]
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:sleep
  10. (intransitive) To experience a period of depression and/or lethargy after a period of euphoria, as after the euphoric effect of a psychotropic drug has dissipated.
  11. (computing, hardware, software, intransitive) To terminate or halt execution due to an exception.
    Synonym: bomb
    If the system crashes again, we'll have it fixed in the computer shop.
  12. (computing, hardware, software, transitive) To cause an exception that terminates or halts execution.
    Double-clicking this icon crashes the desktop.
  13. To take a sudden and severe turn for the worse; to rapidly and catastrophically deteriorate.
  1. (transitive, Scotland, education) To take a subject at higher level without having previously studied it.
    Joe's crashing Higher Physics, even after I told him it was a bad idea.

to collide, fall or come down violently

slang: to turn up without having been invited

to make informal temporary living arrangments

slang: to suddenly fall into a deep sleep

computing: to terminate unexpectedly

Uncertain; perhaps compare Russian крашени́на (krašenína, “coarse linen”).

crash (uncountable)

  1. (textiles) A type of rough linen.
    • 1855, Frederick Douglass, chapter VI, in My Bondage and My Freedom. […], New York; Auburn, N.Y.: Miller, Orton & Mulligan […], →OCLC:
      The yearly allowance of clothing on this plantation, consisted of two tow-linen shirts—such linen as the coarsest crash towels are made of […]
    • 1899, Kate Chopin, The Awakening:
      Unlocking the door of her bath-room she went inside, and soon emerged, bringing a rug, which she spread upon the floor of the gallery, and two huge hair pillows covered with crash, which she placed against the front of the building.

Borrowed from English crash.

crash m (plural crashes, diminutive crashje n)

  1. crash, collision, esp. when involving aircraft
  2. economic crash, especially in relation to stock exchanges
    Synonym: krach
  3. computer crash

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

crash

  1. inflection of crashen:
    1. first-person singular present indicative
    2. (in case of inversion) second-person singular present indicative
    3. imperative

From English crash.

crash m (plural crashs)

  1. (of an aircraft) crash landing
  2. (economics) crash
  3. (computing) crash

Unadapted borrowing from English crash.

crash m (plural crashes)

  1. (finance) crash
    Synonym: quebra
  2. (computing) crash

Borrowed from English crash.

crash m (plural crashes)

  1. (economics) crash
  2. (computing) crash
    Synonym: crasheo