I. ˈdash, -aa(ə)-, -ai- verb
( -ed/-ing/-es )
Etymology: Middle English dasshen, probably of imitative origin
transitive verb
1. : to knock, hurl, or thrust impetuously, violently, or destructively
dash away your tears
they dashed water into his face to revive him
the storm dashed the boat against a reef
he dashed the door open … and fled down the hall — Herbert Gold
the fury of Pontiac's army dashed itself in vain against the palisades of Detroit — American Guide Series: Ind.
2. : to break, crush, or smash by striking or knocking
flowers dashed by rain
the statue was dashed to pieces when it fell
3.
a. : splash , spatter
clothes dashed with mud
b. : besmirch , sully
a reputation dashed with rumor
c. : to spread over carelessly : blotch , bespeckle
a painting dashed with bright colors
4.
a. : to bring to naught : ruin , frustrate
the weather dashed his hopes of making the trip
b. : to put to shame : confound , confuse
dashed by her scorn
c. : to cast down : put out of sorts : depress
never one to be dashed when a partridge gets away — Earle Birney
5. : mix , temper
happiness dashed with bitterness
especially : to enliven, season, or adulterate by adding something of a different quality
a glass of milk was put to his lips, and a new voice said, “I've dashed it with brandy” — Ellen Glasgow
6. archaic : cancel , erase — used with out
7. : to complete, execute, or finish off with haste or rapidity — used with down or off
dash down a few notes
dash off a short story
dash off a drink
8.
[euphemism]
: damn I vt 5
intransitive verb
1.
a. : to advance suddenly and quickly : hurl forward especially in repeated thrusts
storm clouds dashing low across the sky
waves dashed against the breakwater
b. : to move with sudden speed
cars dashing down the highway
dash upstairs
the Japanese boat made another attempt to dash downstream — Nora Waln
2. : to make a show of dressing stylishly and acting in a spirited or romantic manner : cut a fancy figure : appear dashing
a fellow whose only concern is to dress and dash
Synonyms: see rush
II. noun
( -es )
Etymology: Middle English dasshe, from dasshen, v.
1.
a. archaic : a violent impact : blow , stroke — often used in the phrases at first dash, at a dash, at one dash
b. : a sudden impetuous burst or splash or the sound it produces
a dash of water
a dash of rain
2. obsolete : a sudden demoralizing, crushing, or depressing blow
3.
a. : a stroke of a pen especially when made as a flourish in writing or when drawn through a word to cancel it
b. : the punctuation mark — used to indicate an abrupt shift in the structure of a sentence (as in the man whom I — but first let me say this ), termination of a sentence when it is syntactically incomplete (as in “ You know very well he — ”), or faltering utterance (as in “ It shows — that he is — clumsy ”), to mark the end of an introductory series and the beginning or resumption of the main structure of the sentence (as in his colleagues, his friends, his family — all tried to dissuade him ), to set off a repetitive or reinforcing phrase or clause (as in it was a success — a brilliant success — but it gave him little satisfaction ), a preliminary word group (as in legend and history — where are we to draw the line between them? ), or a supplementary word group, especially an afterthought (as in the object of this organization is to carry on scientific research — on a nonprofit basis ), to set off and emphasize a final word or word group (as in he never offends anyone — unintentionally ), an appositive (as in a single blunder — the use of unreliable production figures — invalidates all his conclusions ), or a parenthetical word or word group (as in the book — though written in haste — reads well ), to separate question and answer (as in why did he do this? — because he found it necessary ), to indicate change of speaker in dialogue, to join the name of a writer to a quotation or the name of a source to an extract, to introduce explanatory matter, a quotation, or a list, to separate the items in a list, or to set off a heading from the rest of its paragraph or the salutation from the body of a letter
c. : the sign — used to indicate ellipsis or omission (as in my friend H —, d — d nonsense, or 1911 - — ), to serve as a ditto mark indicating the same author or continuation of the same entry in lists such as bibliographies or catalogs, to join proper names (as in the Brooklyn — Pittsburgh game ), or to join letters or numbers that indicate the beginning and end points of an inclusive series (as in A — C, 22 — 30, 1897 — 1905, usually read as “A to C”, “22 to 30”, “1897 to 1905”)
d. : a mark ' in a musical score denoting that the note over or under which it is placed is to be played very staccato
e. : a graphic character in printing consisting typically of a single horizontal line longer than a hyphen and by printers commonly named according to its width
en dash
em dash
2-em dash
4. : a small quantity of something added to or giving a particular character or individuality to another : touch
his ancestry was chiefly English, with some Scotch and a dash of both French and Dutch — V.L.Kellogg
specifically : a very small quantity of liquid or dry ingredients variously interpreted as ranging from 3 drops to 1/4 teaspoonful added to food or drink
5. : ostentatious display : flashy showiness — usually used in the phrase cut a dash
such a car would cut a dash anywhere
the couple cut quite a dash on the promenade
6. : energy in style and action : animation , spirit
the verve and dash of an old-time cavalry regiment
the two sisters were not beautiful … but they had the dash … that a later generation came to call sex appeal — Robert Shaplen
7.
a. : a sudden onset, rush, or attempt
the dog made a dash at the passing car
make a dash for cover
established three depots of supplies … for a dash to the Pole — C.O.Paullin
b.
(1) : a race short enough to allow the contestants to cover the entire distance at top speed : a short swift race or trial of speed
a 100-yard dash
(2) : a harness race decided in a single heat
8.
a. : a somewhat prolonged click about the duration of three dots on a telegraph sounder forming a letter or part of a letter (as in the Morse code) ; also : a correspondingly long buzz by a radiotelegraph transmitter or long blast of a whistle — compare dot 5b
b. : a wave of a flag through an arc of 90 degrees to the left from vertical as a unit of code in signaling — compare wigwag
c. : a flash of a beam from a somewhat prolonged opening of the shutter of a signal light for about the duration of three dots and representing a letter or part of a letter in a communication system (as the Morse code) — compare dot 5c
9.
[by shortening]
: dashboard 2
10. : a horizontal rule varying in length and used to separate decks of a newspaper headline or to indicate divisions between or within stories
11. : a mixture (as of mortar) prepared to be dashed against a moist surface to make a finishing coat
Synonyms: see vigor
III. “, ˈdäsh noun
( -es )
Etymology: perhaps from Portuguese das, 2d person singular of dar to give, from Latin dare — more at date
Africa : gift
dashes given regularly to his native servant
IV. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-es )
Africa : to give a gift to (as a native employee)