I. ˈsmash, -aa(ə)sh, -aish verb
( -ed/-ing/-es )
Etymology: perhaps blend of smack (III) and mash
transitive verb
1.
a. : to break in pieces by violence : dash or crush to pieces : shatter
smash a teacup
smash a chair
lifts his stick and smashes the chandelier — Edmund Wilson
percussion wave that smashed anything it hit at fifty yards — Wirt Williams
bridge of his nose smashed level with his face — G.B.Shaw
typhoon smashed all installations — Americana Annual
X rays which smash the genes and break up the chromosomes — Lee Hancock
b. : split 2a (3)
a method of smashing the atom — C.S.Kilby
the cyclotron that smashed the atom — J.W.Noble
2.
a.
(1) : to drive or throw violently especially with a shattering or battering effect
smash a stone through a window
smashed a fist in his face
smashing bombs into … enemy positions — New York Times
the shot smashing an echo back from the gorge — Ernest Hemingway
smash themselves against stone walls
also : to bring about or effect in this way
smashed a gap in the hedge — Adrian Bell
had smashed their way into Singapore two years before — Dave Richardson
(2) : to handle (baggage) in a rough noisy manner
b.
(1) : to hit violently : batter
smash him in the face
smash a door in
smash down a fence
(2) : to hit (as a tennis ball, a shuttlecock) with a very hard overhand stroke — compare drive , kill
3. : to destroy utterly as if by crushing to pieces or shattering : break up completely : cause to collapse : wreck — often used with up
smash a theory
smash a tradition
smash up an organization
smash all resistance
smash up a monopoly
smash a revolt
found his health smashed
smashed all production records
4.
a. : to force (as into a new form, a more compact form) by pressure : mash , press
caps to be worn smashed sideways — Lois Long
b. : to compress (as folded book sections or assembled books) in order to give firmness and uniform bulk and eliminate a tendency to a wedge-shaped back from threads used in sewing — compare nip 6a, smashing machine
intransitive verb
1. : to move or become propelled with violence or crashing effect
smashed into a tree
smash through a thicket
smashed over from the five-yard line for a touchdown
raw wind smashing against them — Irwin Shaw
sea surges and smashes — Russell Lord
2. : to become utterly disrupted or wrecked ; especially : to go bankrupt — often used with up
smashed up during the slump
3. : to break up or go to pieces suddenly as a result of collision or pressure
dish dropped from his grasp and smashed
had a horrible moment when things seemed to smash inside me — Mary Deasy
4. : to execute a smash (as in tennis or badminton)
II. noun
( -es )
1.
a. : a smashing blow
a smash on the jaw
or attack
two line smashes gained seven yards
or the sound of a smashing blow
smash of bat on ball
the eternal smash of a handball against the wall — Alfred Kazin
b. : an attacking shot in tennis or badminton in which the ball or shuttlecock is hit overhead with a powerful downward stroke and travels with great speed and usually at a sharp angle to the floor or court
2.
a. : the condition of being broken to pieces : a state of disaster
the grand smash that is inherent in every arms race — D.F.Fleming
— often used in the phrases go to smash, come to smash
had watched his plans go to smash
felt his health going to smash
b. : a fabric defect caused by the breaking of warp or filling yarns
3.
a. : a breaking or dashing to pieces or the sound of such breaking
a smash of crockery in the kitchen
especially : a wreck due to collision : crash , smashup
a grade-crossing smash
a bad smash at the corner
got in a smash and a cyclist was killed — Margaret Kennedy
b. : utter collapse : failure , ruin , wreck
the smash of all his hopes
especially : business failure : bankruptcy
the bank smashes of 1893 — E.H.Collis
4.
a. : a tall drink served with ice and garnished with fruit or mint and consisting of sprigs of mint, sugar, and soda water muddled in a glass to which is added an alcoholic liquor
brandy smash
whiskey smash
b. : a fruit beverage made with crushed or squeezed fruit
cherry smash
5. : a striking success : hit
a box-office smash
musical smash
sang it for a smash — R.G.Hubler
III. adverb
Etymology: smash (II)
: with a resounding crash : smashingly
the stone went smash through the window
IV. adjective
Etymology: smash (II)
: being a smash : extraordinary , outstanding , smashing
smash hit
the smash best seller of the year — Orville Prescott
smash musical show
a smash success
two smash record hits — Bill Simon
V. noun
( -es )
Etymology: origin unknown
1. : counterfeit coin
2. : coin
twenty-nine dollars in bills and the rest in smash — Croswell Bowen
3. slang : money
VI. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-es )
: to pass (counterfeit coin)