From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishsmashsmash1 /smæʃ/ ●●○ verb 1 [intransitive, transitive]BREAK to break into pieces violently or noisily, or to make something do this by dropping, throwing, or hitting it Vandals had smashed all the windows. Firemen had to smash the lock to get in. Several cups fell to the floor and smashed to pieces.► see thesaurus at break2 [intransitive, transitive always + adverb/preposition]PUT to hit an object or surface violently, or to make something do this A stolen car smashed into the bus. He smashed his fist down on the table.3 → smash a record4 [transitive]DESTROY to destroy something such as a political system or criminal organization Police say they have smashed a major crime ring.5 [transitive]DST to hit a high ball with a strong downward action, in tennis or similar games → smash something ↔ down → smash something ↔ in → smash something ↔ up→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
smash• Firefighters smashed a bedroom window and rescued a two-year-old girl.• Police authorities say they have smashed a sophisticated insurance fraud ring.• The burglars entered the house by smashing a window.• The stock market rose so quickly it smashed all previous records.• Her camera was smashed by soldiers when she tried to take photographs.• She drove three kicks into his shins and smashed her handbag into the side of his head.• The vase fell and smashed into a million tiny pieces.• They used to smash it down, and it inevitably wound up spilling all over the car.• The violence apparently escalated as white and black youths turned over a bus and began smashing shop windows.• And they drank a toast and smashed the Dixie cups underfoot and turned out the light and went to lunch.• It smashed through the gates, tearing them off their hinges as though they were made of plastic.• No force of nature, nothing paradoxical or demonic, he had no drive for smashing through the masks of appearances.• The boat hit the rocks and was smashed to pieces by the waves.• The bottle rolled off the table and smashed to pieces on the floor.• I heard something smash. What broke?smashed to pieces• Anything that gets in his way is smashed to pieces.• They were smashed to pieces, as if some one had ground them underfoot.• Would the idyll she had dreamed of be there again, not smashed to pieces as it seemed to be?• It had been smashed to pieces because Timothy Gedge had followed them.smashsmash2 noun 1 [countable] British EnglishACCIDENT a serious road or railway accident – used especially in newspapers SYN crash Young boy hurt in car smash.2 [countable] (also smash hit) a new film, song etc which is very successful a box-office smash (=a film which many people go to see at the cinema)3 [countable]DST a hard downward shot in tennis or similar games4 [singular]SOUND the loud sound of something breakingsmash of He heard the smash of glass.Examples from the Corpus
smash• Julia Roberts' beauty didn't stop Pretty Woman becoming a smash at the box office.• Gives it a smash, gives it a rip.• Suddenly, there was a smash in the kitchen.• the latest Broadway smashOrigin smash1 (1600-1700) Perhaps from smack + mash 