Collide
verbBase collide · Past collided · Past Participle collided · Present Participle colliding · 3rd person collides
Definition
1. (verb) To crash into something or someone with force — used for vehicles, objects, or people that hit each other, usually by accident.
2. (verb) To come into sharp conflict — used for ideas, values, interests, or personalities that clash strongly with each other.
2. (verb) To come into sharp conflict — used for ideas, values, interests, or personalities that clash strongly with each other.
Context Alive
You're rushing through a busy train station with your bag over one shoulder and your phone in your hand. You're reading a message and not watching where you're going. Someone coming the other way is doing exactly the same thing. You collide with them so hard that both phones hit the floor and your coffee goes everywhere. You both look up at the same time, start apologising at the same moment, and then spend a full thirty seconds trying to figure out whose coffee it was.
Meanings
2 meanings 1 To Crash Into Something with Force (Verb) Very Common ▼
This meaning is about two things hitting each other — usually with speed, force, and without intention. Imagine a cyclist coming out of a side street without checking and going straight into the side of a car that had right of way — the two collide in the middle of the junction. This is describing a physical impact between two moving things. You might read "two lorries collided on the motorway" in a news report about a road accident, or someone could say "they nearly collided at the corner" about two people who almost crashed into each other on a busy pavement. Or picture a football match where two players both go for a header at the same moment — they collide in mid-air and both end up on the ground. The word implies speed and impact — it's stronger than simply bumping into something.
✏️ Collide is almost always followed by "with" — "collide with a car," "collide with another player," "collide with the wall." The noun form is collision, which is extremely common in accident reports, insurance claims, and news: "a head-on collision," "a mid-air collision," "a collision at the intersection."
2 To Clash — Ideas, Values, or Personalities (Verb) Common ▼
This meaning is about conflict — not a physical crash, but a strong clash between two forces that don't go together. Imagine a very traditional family where the parents have fixed expectations, and their adult child comes home having completely changed their values and priorities — their worldviews collide over every conversation at the dinner table. This is describing an inevitable, often dramatic clash between things that are fundamentally incompatible. You might read "the two styles collided on screen" about a film where two very different actors bring completely opposing energy, or someone could say "their personalities collided from the very first meeting" about two colleagues who never got along. Or think about a merger between two companies with very different workplace cultures — the values and working styles collide almost immediately, causing friction across the whole organisation. The word suggests the clash is strong and hard to avoid.
✏️ In this figurative sense, collide often appears in more vivid or journalistic writing — it's more dramatic than "clash" or "conflict." "Worlds collide" is a very common expression used when two completely different environments, people, or lifestyles suddenly come into contact: "her work life and personal life finally collided" or "when old friends and new friends collide at a party."
Common Patterns
Basic Structures
collide with + noun → the standard pattern — to hit or clash with something or someone
The van ran a red light and collided with a bus coming through the junction.
nearly / almost collide → to come very close to a crash or clash without it actually happening
Two cyclists nearly collided at the bottom of the hill because neither of them was using lights.
collide head-on → to crash directly into something from the front — used for vehicles and figurative clashes
The two cars collided head-on on the narrow country road in thick fog.
Figurative Structures
interests / values / worlds collide → used when two very different things or people come into sharp conflict
The documentary explores what happens when traditional values and modern ambitions collide in small rural communities.
personalities collide → when two people's characters are so different that conflict is almost inevitable
It was obvious from day one that their personalities would collide — they had completely opposite approaches to everything.
collide in mid-air / at speed → emphasises the force or location of the impact
The two players collided at speed going for the same ball and both had to be helped off the pitch.
Collocations
10 collocationscollide with something
to crash into or clash with a specific object, vehicle, or person
head-on collision
a direct frontal crash between two things moving towards each other
nearly collide
to come very close to crashing without actually making contact
worlds collide
when two very different environments, people, or lifestyles suddenly come into contact
interests collide
when two parties want conflicting things and can't both get what they need
cultures collide
when two very different cultural backgrounds or values come into conflict
personalities collide
when two people's characters are so different they inevitably clash
collide in mid-air
used for aircraft or airborne objects that crash into each other
collide at speed
to crash while moving fast — emphasises the force of the impact
two vehicles collide
standard phrasing in accident reports and news coverage
Example Sentences
10 examples
1
A lorry crossed the central reservation and collided with a coach carrying forty passengers.
A truck veered across the middle of the road and smashed into a coach that had forty people on board.
2
The two players collided going for the same header and both had to leave the pitch.
Both players went for the same ball in the air, crashed into each other, and had to be taken off the field.
3
When their different management styles collided, the whole project ground to a halt.
The sharp conflict between their opposing management approaches brought the entire project to a standstill.
4
She collided with a cyclist as she stepped off the pavement without looking.
She walked off the kerb without checking and crashed straight into a cyclist coming past.
5
The two aircraft nearly collided over the city before air traffic control intervened.
The two planes came dangerously close to each other in the sky above the city before controllers stepped in.
6
His ambition and her caution collided constantly throughout their partnership.
His drive to push forward and her tendency to hold back put them at odds with each other throughout the whole project.
7
The shopping trolley slipped from her hands and collided with a display stand, sending tins everywhere.
She lost her grip on the trolley and it crashed into a shelf display, scattering tins across the floor.
8
Traditional expectations and modern life collide constantly for young people growing up in both worlds.
Young people who straddle traditional and modern ways of living are constantly caught between two clashing sets of expectations.
9
The two runners collided on the final bend, and one of them fell off the track completely.
Both runners crashed into each other going round the last corner, and one was knocked completely off the track.
10
The moment their ideas collided in the meeting, it became clear they had very different visions for the company.
As soon as they both laid out their ideas, it was obvious they had completely opposing views on where the company should go.
Synonyms & Antonyms
6 items
Synonymscrash into
more informal and vivid — emphasises the impact and damage of the collision
clash
closer to the figurative meaning — used for conflicts between people, ideas, or values rather than physical crashes
smash into
more forceful and informal — implies significant damage from the impact
Antonymsavoid
to successfully stay clear of a crash or conflict
miss
to narrowly not hit something — the physical opposite of colliding
align
for the figurative meaning — when ideas, values, or interests match rather than clash