use-icon

HOW TO USE THE DICTIONARY

To look up an entry in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, use the search window above. For best results, after typing in the word, click on the “Search” button instead of using the “enter” key.

Some compound words (like bus rapid transit, dog whistle, or identity theft) don’t appear on the drop-down list when you type them in the search bar. For best results with compound words, place a quotation mark before the compound word in the search window.

guide to the dictionary

use-icon

THE USAGE PANEL

The Usage Panel is a group of nearly 200 prominent scholars, creative writers, journalists, diplomats, and others in occupations requiring mastery of language. Annual surveys have gauged the acceptability of particular usages and grammatical constructions.

The Panelists

open-icon

AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY APP

The new American Heritage Dictionary app is now available for iOS and Android.

scroll-icon

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY BLOG

The articles in our blog examine new words, revised definitions, interesting images from the fifth edition, discussions of usage, and more.

100-words-icon

See word lists from the best-selling 100 Words Series!

Find out more!

open-icon

INTERESTED IN DICTIONARIES?

Check out the Dictionary Society of North America at http://www.dictionarysociety.com

smash (smăsh)
Share:
v. smashed, smash·ing, smash·es
v.tr.
1.
a. To break (something) into pieces suddenly, noisily, and violently; shatter. See Synonyms at break.
b. To render (something) into a mush or pulp, as by throwing or crushing: smashed the tomatoes against the wall. See Synonyms at crush.
2.
a. To strike with a heavy blow or impact: The boxer smashed his opponent in the ribs. The bulldozer smashed down the barricade.
b. Sports To hit (a ball, puck, or shuttlecock) in a forceful overhand stroke.
c. To cause to come into forceful contact with something: stood up and smashed his head against the cabinet door.
3. To crush or destroy completely: The army smashed the rebellion.
4. To surpass or outdo by a large margin: smashed the record for goals in a season.
v.intr.
1. To move and strike or collide suddenly, noisily, and violently: The car smashed into a tree.
2. To break suddenly into pieces, as from a violent blow or collision: The dish smashed when it hit the floor.
3. Sports To hit a ball, puck, or shuttlecock in a forceful overhand stroke.
4. To go bankrupt.
n.
1.
a. A heavy blow or collision: The smash knocked over the signpost.
b. Sports A forceful overhand stroke, as in tennis or badminton.
2. A violent breaking of something or the noise made by such breaking: There was a loud smash in the kitchen as the dishes fell off the shelf.
3.
a. Total defeat or destruction; ruin.
b. Financial failure; bankruptcy.
4.
a. A drink made of mint, sugar, soda water, and alcoholic liquor, usually brandy.
b. A soft drink made of crushed fruit.
5. Informal A resounding success: The play was a smash on Broadway.
adj.
Informal
Of, relating to, or being a resounding success: a smash hit on Broadway.
adv.
With a sudden violent crash.

[Probably of imitative origin.]

smasher n.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.