crash

1 verb

1 CAR/PLANE ETC (I, T) to have an accident in a car, plane etc by violently hitting another vehicle or something such as a wall or tree: The DC 10 crashed shortly after take-off.

(+ into/onto etc): The car crashed straight into a tree. | crash a car/bus/plane etc: Rick crashed his bike before he'd finished paying for it.

2 HIT STH/SB HARD (intransitive always + adv/prep, transitive always +adv/prep) to hit something or someone extremely hard while you are moving, causing a lot of damage, or making a lot of noise

(+ into/through etc): The ladder came crashing through the window. | crash sth down: Rod's face went bright red and he crashed his fist down on the table. | go crashing into: He lost his balance on the ice and went crashing into the crowd. | come crashing down: A branch came crashing down onto the greenhouse.

3 MAKE A LOUD NOISE (I) to make a sudden, loud noise: The cymbals crashed, and the symphony came to an end.

4 SLEEP also crash out (I) spoken

a) to go to bed, or go to sleep very quickly, especially because you are very tired: I was so tired last night, I got home and just crashed out on the sofa.

b) to stay at someone's house for the night, especially when you have not planned to: Can I crash at your place on Saturday night?

5 COMPUTER (I, T) if a computer crashes or you crash the computer, it suddenly stops working: The system crashed at nine this morning, so we haven't been able to do anything.

6 FINANCIAL (I) if a stock market crashes, the stocks (stock1 (3a)) suddenly lose a lot of value

7 PARTY informal (T) to go to a party that you have not been invited to: She crashes parties all the time even though she always gets thrown out.

8 crashing bore BrE old-fashioned someone who is very boring

2 noun (C)

1 a violent accident involving one or more vehicles: plane/car etc crash: 41 people were killed in a plane crash in the Himalayas last week.

2 a sudden loud noise made by something falling, breaking etc

(+ of): Jessica heard the crash of breaking glass behind her. | with a crash: There was a loud crack and the branch came down with a crash.

3 a sudden, unexpected failing of a computer or computer system

4 an occasion on which the stocks (stock1 (3a)) in a stock market 1 suddenly lose a lot of value: Nobody was prepared for the crash on Black Monday in 1987.