dash
1to strike or smash violently, especially so as to break to pieces: He dashed the plate into smithereens against the wall.
to throw or thrust violently or suddenly: to dash one stone against another.
to splash, often violently; bespatter (with water, mud, etc.): He recovered consciousness when they dashed water in his face.
to apply roughly, as by splashing: to dash paint here and there on the wall.
to mix or adulterate by adding another substance: to dash wine with water.
to ruin or frustrate (hopes, plans, etc.): The rain dashed our hopes for a picnic.
to depress; dispirit: The failure dashed his spirits.
to confound or abash: His rejection dashed and humiliated him.
to strike with violence: The waves dashed against the cliff.
to move with violence; rush: The horses dashed out of the burning stable.
a small quantity of anything thrown into or mixed with something else: a dash of salt.
a hasty or sudden movement; a rush or sudden onset: They all made a dash for the door.
the mark or sign (—) used to note an abrupt break or pause in a sentence or hesitation in an utterance, to begin and end a parenthetic word, phrase, or clause, to indicate the omission of letters or words, to divide a line, to substitute for certain uses of the colon, and to separate any of various elements of a sentence or series of sentences, as a question from its answer.
the throwing or splashing of liquid against something: the dash of the waves against the dock.
the sound of such splashing: The dash of the waves on the beach could be heard from afar.
spirited action; vigor in action or style; élan: The dancer performed with spirit and dash.
Track. a short race: a 100-yard dash.
Telegraphy. a signal of longer duration than a dot, used in groups of dots, dashes, and spaces to represent letters, as in Morse code.
a hasty stroke, especially of a pen.
Archaic. a violent and rapid blow or stroke.
dash off,
to hurry away; leave: I must dash off now.
Also dash down . to write, make, accomplish, etc., hastily: We dashed off a letter to announce the news. He dashed down a memo.
Idioms about dash
cut a dash, to make a striking impression; be ostentatious or showy.
Origin of dash
1synonym study For dash
Other words for dash
Words Nearby dash
Other definitions for dash (2 of 3)
to damn (usually used as an interjection).
Origin of dash
2Other definitions for dash (3 of 3)
a tip, bribe, or recompense.
to give a tip or bribe to (especially a government employee).
Origin of dash
3Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use dash in a sentence
A riff on a classic tiki cocktail inspired by Vilkhu’s childhood, it combines rum, Campari, fresh lime, falernum, passionfruit liqueur, and homemade roasted mango syrup with a dash of the solution.
Why you should be adding salt to your cocktails | By Céline Bossart/Saveur | September 4, 2020 | Popular-ScienceWith only days remaining in this year’s abbreviated session, senators were allowed Friday to vote on the last-minute dash of legislation remotely.
Morning Report: MTS Rejects Many Who Applied for Disabled Fare Reductions | Voice of San Diego | August 31, 2020 | Voice of San DiegoSo the automation of these processes is where the mad dash is regarding the development of technology.
‘E-commerce is expensive’: How invisible technology and infrastructure overhauls will save retail | Kayleigh Barber | August 31, 2020 | DigidayIt hovers over you, dashes briefly into the car, then returns to your face.
Noses raised to catch the wind, the dogs dash across the tall-grass prairie.
Conservation is going to the dogs | Alison Pearce Stevens | April 2, 2020 | Science News For Students
Family crests and nicknames are stitched into headrests, colors are specified for seat stitching, veneers are chosen for the dash.
Local and foreign fashionistas will fill the front rows at the very last minute and dash out when the music is still on.
Who to See and Where to be Seen: The Hot Tips for New York Fashion Week | Barbara Ragghianti | September 3, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAt this point, I decided it would be a good idea to make a mad dash for the vodka.
Meet the Anti-Semites, Truthers, and Alaska Pol at D.C.’s Pro-Putin Soiree | James Kirchick | June 17, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTPharmaceutical company Ohta Isan has a product called Balenine dash, which is made from whale and claims to give you energy.
Welcome to Japan’s Whale Week, Featuring Curried Whale Meat And Exploding Harpoons | Angela Erika Kubo, Jake Adelstein | June 12, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIn 2010, dash filed for divorce from her husband, Emmanuel Xuereb, alleging years of abuse.
‘Clueless’: How the Greatest Clique of the ‘90s Transformed Into A Shakespearean Tragedy | Marlow Stern | May 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTTom leaped on one side; the buffalo-bull turned short round and made another dash at him.
Hunting the Lions | R.M. BallantyneFor a second Marius considered whether he might not attempt to elude Garnache by a wild and sudden dash towards his men.
St. Martin's Summer | Rafael SabatiniThey show to the full the secret of the Marshal's success as a soldier, the blending of ardour with method and dash with caution.
Napoleon's Marshals | R. P. Dunn-PattisonA man throws up his arms and tumbles headlong, but those that live dash on.
The Courier of the Ozarks | Byron A. DunnBut suddenly Jessie drove her paddle deep into the water and sent the canoe in a dash to the landing.
The Campfire Girls of Roselawn | Margaret Penrose
British Dictionary definitions for dash (1 of 3)
/ (dæʃ) /
to hurl; crash: he dashed the cup to the floor; the waves dashed against the rocks
to mix: white paint dashed with blue
(intr) to move hastily or recklessly; rush: he dashed to her rescue
(usually foll by off or down) to write (down) or finish (off) hastily
to destroy; frustrate: his hopes were dashed
to daunt (someone); cast down; discourage: he was dashed by her refusal
a sudden quick movement; dart
a small admixture: coffee with a dash of cream
a violent stroke or blow
the sound of splashing or smashing: the dash of the waves
panache; style: he rides with dash
cut a dash See cut (def. 33)
the punctuation mark —, used singly in place of a colon, esp to indicate a sudden change of subject or grammatical anacoluthon, or in pairs to enclose a parenthetical remark
the symbol (–) used, in combination with the symbol dot (·), in the written representation of Morse and other telegraphic codes: Compare dah
athletics another word (esp US and Canadian) for sprint
informal short for dashboard
Origin of dash
1British Dictionary definitions for dash (2 of 3)
/ (dæʃ) /
informal a euphemistic word for damn (def. 1), damn (def. 2)
British Dictionary definitions for dash (3 of 3)
/ (dæʃ) Western African /
a gift, commission, tip, or bribe
to give (a dash) to someone
Origin of dash
3Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for dash
A punctuation mark (—) used to indicate a sudden break in thought, to set off parenthetical material, or to take the place of such expressions as that is and namely: “He's running for reelection — if he lives until then”; “Very few people in this class — three, to be exact — have completed their projects”; “She joined the chorus for only one reason — she loves to sing.” In the last example, where the parenthetical material comes at the end of the sentence rather than in the middle, a colon could be used instead of the dash.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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