Collide

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /kəˈlaɪd/

Definitions

1. To strike or crash together with force, or to come into conflict or disagreement
2. To come into contact with violent force or to encounter opposing views or ideas in disagreement
3. To smash together with intensity or to clash in thoughts, beliefs, or opinions causing a dispute

Etymology: "Collide" is a compound built from two Latin parts: "con-", meaning "together", and "laedere", meaning "to strike". In Latin, "collidere" meant to clash, strike, dash or press things together, and the first part shows up in English as "col-" because the "n" of "con-" changed to "l" before the "l" of "laedere", a common adjustment in Latin compounds. The English verb keeps the core idea of two things striking each other with force. Its modern sense of a physical impact between objects, especially vehicles, follows that original meaning closely. Note that the sense of being hurt sits in the Latin root "laedere" but is not carried into the English verb, which describes only the striking itself.

Synonyms: crash, bump, hit

Antonyms: avoid, dodge