collide

verb

col·​lide kə-ˈlīd How to pronounce collide (audio)
collided; colliding

intransitive verb

1
: to come together with solid or direct impact
The car collided with a tree.
Two helicopters collided.
2
: clash
colliding cultures
Science and religion collided in the court.

Examples of collide in a Sentence

Two football players collided on the field. the candidate had a reputation as a maverick whose positions often collided with the party platform
Recent Examples on the Web Shortly after, officers received reports of two vehicles that had collided head-on on the highway just west of Winton Road. Aaron Valdez, The Enquirer, 20 Mar. 2024 Additional officers responding to the scene encountered a traffic incident when a driver collided with a police vehicle. Jenna Prestininzi, Detroit Free Press, 19 Mar. 2024 Her case collided with perhaps the most pernicious flaw in the rollout: The new form froze out applicants who could not provide a social security number for themselves or their parent or caregiver, something that had not been an issue with the old form. Zach Montague, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2024 Now, their itinerant odysseys had collided in this remote outpost in the heartland. Sebastian Rotella, ProPublica, 14 Mar. 2024 As strong demand for products such as automobiles and furniture collided with supply chain limits, prices spiked, leaving consumers fuming. David J. Lynch, Washington Post, 12 Mar. 2024 Preliminary reports suggested the van, driving north on County J, collided with a semi-tractor heading east on State 95, the sheriff's office said. Elliot Hughes, Journal Sentinel, 8 Mar. 2024 At the time, Iran alleged that the Advantage Sweet collided with another ship, without offering any evidence. Jon Gambrell and Tara Copp, Quartz, 7 Mar. 2024 But Canada rallied again to tie the score, this time on a penalty kick seven minutes into stoppage time after Naeher was called for the foul after colliding with Giles in front of the goal. Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'collide.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin collidere, from com- + laedere to injure by striking

First Known Use

1700, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of collide was in 1700

Dictionary Entries Near collide

Cite this Entry

“Collide.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/collide. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

collide

verb
col·​lide kə-ˈlīd How to pronounce collide (audio)
collided; colliding
1
: to come together with solid impact
the football players collided
2
: clash entry 1 sense 2a
their different outlooks collided

More from Merriam-Webster on collide

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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