collide

verb

col·​lide kə-ˈlīd 

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.

Synonyms of collide

• clash
• conflict

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

Each meteoroid collides with Earth's upper atmosphere at 41 miles (66 km) per second, creating an incandescent trail of shocked, ionized air. —Joe Rao, Space.com, 4 May 2026

Two of our planet's most serious environmental issues ‒ microplastics and global warming ‒ have collided in a new scientific study released May 4. —Doyle Rice, USA Today, 4 May 2026

Two people are dead after a go-kart and a car collided late Saturday night in southwest Denver, police said. —Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 4 May 2026

The pursuit ended when the driver collided into a second vehicle around Burton Way and Robertson Boulevard and officers surrounded it. —City News Service, Daily News, 4 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1646, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for collide

• abide
• allied
• applied
• aside
• astride
• azide
• backside
• bankside
• bastide
• bayside
• bedside
• belied

Kids Definition

collide

verb

col·​lide kə-ˈlīd 

collided; colliding

1

: to come together with solid impact

the football players collided

2

: clash entry 1 sense 2a

their different outlooks collided