adj
Meaning 1
Serving to smash (something).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- The boxer delivered a smashing blow to his opponent's head.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
smashing
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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/ˈsmæʃɪŋ/
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Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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rhymes with -æʃɪŋ
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CMU ARPABET: S M AE1 SH IH0 NG Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
adj
Meaning 2
Wonderful, very good or impressive.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Ireland, UK
Examples
- We had a smashing time at the zoo.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
The breaking or destruction of (something brittle) in a violent manner.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- Some Greek dance is traditionally accompanied by the smashing of crockery.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 4
The destruction or disintegration of something by being smashed.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 5
The hitting of something extremely hard.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 6
The complete and sudden ruin or ruination of something.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 7
An overwhelming victory or success.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: idiomatic, informal
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 8
The deformation of something through continuous pressure.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 9
An act of sexual intercourse.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: slang, vulgar
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 10
A disastrous failure of something.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic, slang
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 11
present participle and gerund of smash
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: form-of, gerund, participle, present
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adjective satellite
Meaning 12
very good
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- he did a bully job
- a neat sports car
- had a great time at the party
- you look simply smashing
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: bang-up, bully, corking, cracking, dandy, great, groovy, keen, neat, nifty, not bad(p), peachy, slap-up, swell
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 13
the act of breaking something into small pieces
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: shattering
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: breakage, break, breaking
History
Etymology
From smash + -ing. As a synonym for wonderful, the term first appeared in the United States in the early twentieth century, and possibly derives from the sense of smash used in smash hit and similar terms. Popular folk etymology connects the term to the broadly homophonous Irish is maith sin or Scottish Gaelic 's math sin ("that is good"), but this has been described as "improbable", and does not appear in the etymological dictionaries.
Across languages
Translations
11 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Bulgarian: съкрушителен (sǎkrušitelen) — serving to smash
- Bulgarian: великолепен (velikolepen) — wonderful
- Danish: fed — wonderful
- Dutch: indrukwekkend — wonderful
- Dutch: verpletterend — wonderful
- French: sensass — wonderful
- French: super — wonderful
- French: génial — wonderful
- Malayalam: തകർപ്പൻ (takaṟppaṉ) — wonderful
- Spanish: excelente — wonderful
- Spanish: maravilloso — wonderful