What Is an App Crash? Definition, Examples & Fixes

Meaning 1：software crash (app crash)

app crash 🔊

/æp kræʃ/

When a software application suddenly stops working and closes on your phone or computer.

App crash example: social media app closes to home screen

software crash 🔊

➕

/ˈsɔːftwɛr kræʃ/

An app crash occurs when a software application stops functioning unexpectedly and closes, often losing unsaved data.

📁 Category：Technological Inventions 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

'App' short for application; 'crash' from Old French 'crassir' meaning break.

💡 Mnemonic

Picture a phone app hitting a wall and shattering - that's an app crash.

📖 Example

I was about to book the train ticket, and then the booking app crashed, so I had to start over. 🔊 I was about to book the train ticket, and then the booking app crashed, so I had to start over.

🔗 Collocations

app crash report – A detailed record of an application's crash, used for debugging.

app crash log – A file containing error data generated after a crash.

prevent app crash – Actions taken to avoid application failures, such as updating software.

🔄 Synonyms

application failure (n.) – An event where a software app stops working unexpectedly.

software crash (n.) – A complete shutdown of a program due to an error.

program abort (n.) – The termination of a program before completion due to a fault.

🚫 Antonyms

app launch (n.) – The successful start of an application.

normal operation (n.) – The state of an application functioning correctly without errors.

successful execution (n.) – Completion of a program without interruptions.

🌱 Derivatives

crash (v.) – To fail or stop working suddenly (used for software).

crashed (adj.) – Describing a program that has stopped functioning.

crashing (n.) – The act of a program failing.

📖 Cultural Story

The computing term 'crash' originated in the 1960s at MIT to describe a system failure. With mobile apps, 'app crash' entered everyday language, often causing data loss.