smashes 1 of 2

present tense third-person singular of smash
1
2
as in demolishes
to cause to break open or into pieces by or as if by an explosive the firecracker smashed the clay pot

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

3
as in destroys
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of the invading troops smashed the resistance and went on to conquer the country

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

4

smashes

2 of 2

noun

plural of smash
1
2
as in crashes
the violent coming together of two bodies into destructive contact the sound of the smash made all of the bystanders immediately whip their heads around

Synonyms & Similar Words

3
4
5

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of smashes
Verb
His acumen for promotion, particularly in international markets, helped the commercial success of box office smashes such as Saturday Night Fever and Raiders of the Lost Ark. — Greg Evans, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2026 The bamboo smashes into bone and the scene in my mind bursts into a million white pieces. — Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026 The parents can be seen in the video rushing toward their children as the car smashes through the fence. — Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Sep. 2026 That is less than half as many as the set that produced many of his signature smashes and turned him into a chart-topper. — Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026 For now, Paramount isn’t producing the billion-dollar box office smashes that drive millions of butts into theater seats (not to mention robust sales of novelty popcorn buckets). — Todd Spangler, Variety, 9 Aug. 2026 The oncoming vehicle then smashes into his SUV, the footage shows. — Robert McGreevy, FOXNews.com, 7 Aug. 2026 Following the Oklahoma style, the team smashes Vidalia onions directly into the beef, making the patties superthin, then tops them with brown mustard, American cheese and pickles. — Sam Flemming, AJC.com, 1 July 2026 Pele controls the ball in the penalty area with his thigh, flips it over the head of the defender and smashes it past a helpless Kalle Svensson. — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2026
Noun
The shapeshifting director, whose credits range from the Oscar-winning romance Call Me by Your Name to the horror remake Suspiria, had worked with the company regularly, on commercial smashes (Challengers) and misfires (After the Hunt) alike. — David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 5 Oct. 2026 Her career count on the former roster recently moved beyond 100 smashes after multiple tracks from No Me Arrepiento de Sentir Tanto debuted last week. — Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026 Cinemas are on course for their best financial year since before the coronavirus pandemic, powered by large-scale hits such as The Odyssey and surprise small-budget smashes, particularly Obsession and Backrooms. — David Sims, The Atlantic, 14 Aug. 2026 The track — with its croaking guitar, cymbal smashes, and stuttering vocals — sounds nothing like Brat’s gleaming, clubby gems (or the bouncy pop-punk of her 2014 LP Sucker, for that matter). — Caryn Ganz, Rolling Stone, 23 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smashes
Verb
  • When a severe heatwave shatters her family’s fragile routine and exposes her father’s dementia, Anna’s world is thrown into uncertainty.
    — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2026
  • After the cannon booms shatters these boxes, the ensemble tumbles together in a finale worthy of Tchaikovsky.
    — Carlos Valladares, ARTnews.com, 11 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • An $8,000 Ryvid Anthem or a $10,000 Maeving RM1S will deliver broadly similar urban usability, while the $12,500 Zero FXE absolutely demolishes it on power-per-dollar.
    — Utkarsh Sood June 12, New Atlas, 12 June 2026
  • The latest filing demolishes the timeworn claim that DOGE was infiltrated into Social Security in order to responsibly ferret out fraud and overspending.
    — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Jains typically do not eat root vegetables because harvesting them destroys the whole plant and harms life-forms around it.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Sep. 2026
  • How IonQ cracked error correction Since making measurements of a qubit destroys its quantum state, researchers can only gather information about their syndromes to know if the qubit has accumulated an error or not.
    — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 23 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • There are currently more than 85,000 customers without power across the Northeast, including New York City and Connecticut, as an intensifying early-season nor’easter slams the region with strong wind, soaking rain and coastal flooding.
    — Rebekah Riess, CNN Money, 26 Sep. 2026
  • Not thunder, not cobwebs, not a door that slams itself for union reasons.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Nearly 300 people are killed every year in traffic crashes in the city, with speed serving as the leading factor in the collisions.
    — Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Now researchers analyzing data from those collisions have seen an unexpected signal that offers new clues about how the cosmic transition happened eons ago.
    — Clara Moskowitz, Scientific American, 28 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • There have been 42 accidents and crashes tied to the Catalina airport, claiming 30 lives since 1982.
    — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2026
  • This planning study stems from the city’s high-injury network, a group of roads that have the highest number of serious injury and fatal crashes.
    — Madison Smalstig, Sacbee.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Ditka and Ryan had an often adversarial relationship, with the two nearly coming to blows during halftime of the team's only 1985 season loss, to the Miami Dolphins.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Even with a human controlling the machine remotely, LaPenna was still trading blows with a heavy metal robot capable of putting real force behind its movements.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 5 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • The entire gymnasium roared with claps and cheers, the loudest and most fervent applause of the evening.
    — Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 2026
  • The Golf Channel would always be playing in the background; the soft claps were the soundtrack to our slow Saturdays.
    — Ivy Odom, Southern Living, 1 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Smashes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smashes. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

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