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📕 rednote ID(小红书号)：3881567312

Crash: Definitions, Usage & Common Mistakes (3 meaning)

Meaning 1：collide violently (crash)

crash 🔊

/kræʃ/

To hit something else very hard and suddenly, often making a loud noise and causing damage.

Crash meaning illustrated by a car collision with a dented bumper and scraped paint.

collide violently 🔊

➕

/kəˈlaɪd ˈvaɪələntli/

To come into sudden and forceful contact with something, typically causing damage and noise.

📁 Category：Transportation & Travel 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

Originates from Middle English 'crasshen', likely imitative of the sound of breaking.

💡 Mnemonic

Think of a car crashing into a wall - the sudden 'CRASH' sound and impact.

📖 Example

The driver wasn't paying attention and crashed his car into a tree. 🔊 The driver wasn't paying attention and violently collided his car with a tree.

🔗 Collocations

crash into – to collide with something

plane crash – an aviation accident

crash helmet – protective headgear for riding motorcycles

🔄 Synonyms

collide (v.) – to strike or hit against each other with force

smash (v.) – to break violently into pieces, often with a loud sound

plough into (v.) – to crash into something with great force

🚫 Antonyms

avoid (v.) – to keep away from or prevent a collision

graze (v.) – to touch or scrape lightly in passing

🌱 Derivatives

crasher (n.) – a person or thing that crashes; someone who attends a party uninvited

📖 Cultural Story

In modern culture, 'crash' is a key term in finance (stock market crash) and computing (system crash), both describing sudden and catastrophic failures that have shaped public discourse around technology and economics.

Meaning 2：stop functioning (crash)

crash 🔊

/kræʃ/

When a computer, app, or website suddenly stops working properly and closes.

Computer crash concept showing a laptop displaying a fatal system error blue screen.

stop functioning 🔊

➕

/stɒp ˈfʌŋkʃənɪŋ/

For a computer system or software application to fail suddenly and completely, often requiring a restart.

📁 Category：Technological Inventions 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

I forgot to save my essay before my computer crashed, and I lost all my work. 🔊 I forgot to save my essay before my computer stopped functioning, and I lost all my work.

🔗 Collocations

system crash – a complete failure of a computer's operating system

crash report – a file generated after a software crash to help diagnose the problem

crash course – a short and intensive learning experience on a subject (figurative)

🔄 Synonyms

freeze (v.) – to become locked and unresponsive

fail (v.) – to stop working or functioning

go down (v.) – to stop functioning, often used for servers or websites

🚫 Antonyms

boot (v.) – to start up a computer system

run (v.) – to operate or function correctly

Meaning 3：make a loud noise (crash)

crash 🔊

/kræʃ/

To make a sudden, very loud noise, like something breaking or falling heavily.

Crash as a loud noise depicted by a shattering ceramic plate on a kitchen floor.

make a loud noise 🔊

➕

/meɪk ə laʊd nɔɪz/

To produce a sudden, sharp, and often destructive sound, like that of objects breaking or falling heavily.

📁 Category：Behaviors & Actions 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

I heard a loud crash from the kitchen and ran in to find a pile of broken plates on the floor. 🔊 I heard a loud noise from the kitchen and ran in to find a pile of broken plates on the floor.

🔗 Collocations

crash down – to fall or collapse with a loud noise

crash of thunder – a loud, sudden sound of thunder

cymbal crash – a loud, resonant sound made by striking cymbals together in music

🔄 Synonyms

clatter (v.) – to make a continuous rattling sound, as of hard objects falling

bang (v.) – to make a sudden loud, explosive noise

slam (v.) – to shut or hit something with great force and noise

🚫 Antonyms

whisper (v.) – to speak very softly using one's breath

tinkle (v.) – to make a light, clear ringing sound