verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
- 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.
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Idioms for dash
Origin of dash1
synonym study for dash
Words nearby dash
Definition for dash (2 of 3)
verb (used with object) Chiefly British.
Origin of dash2
Definition for dash (3 of 3)
verb (used with object)
Origin of dash3
What is a basic definition of dash?
Dash is a verb that means to strike violently, to run quickly over a short distance, or to frustrate or ruin. Dash is also used as a noun to mean a small amount of something added to a mixture. Dash has many other senses as a verb and a noun.
Usually, we say that something was dashed against something else. For example, if you dash a glass jar against the ground, you throw or bash it violently against the ground. In this sense, dash often implies that something was destroyed or was smashed into many pieces.
Real-life examples: You might want to dash your phone against your desk when it isn’t working right. You can dash water on your face to help wake you up in the morning.
Used in a sentence: I dashed the clock against the wall and it broke into a dozen pieces.
Dash can also mean to run very quickly over a short distance.
Real-life examples: Holiday shoppers dash to the store to buy gifts before the shelves are empty. Horses dash to the finish line when trying to win a race. You might dash to the bus stop so you don’t miss the bus.
Used in a sentence: I dashed toward the table to stop my cat from falling to the floor.
Dash is used in this same sense as a noun to mean a short burst of movement. It is a synonym of the word sprint.
Used in a sentence: I made a wild dash to the stove to grab the last slice of pizza.
Dash can also mean to frustrate or ruin.
Used in a sentence: My dreams of being a soccer player were dashed when I found out I had asthma.
Real-life examples: A recipe may ask for a dash of cinnamon. You might put a dash of sprinkles on your ice cream cone. A person may add a dash of chlorine to a swimming pool to kill algae.
Used in a sentence: I threw a dash of pepper into the soup.
Where does dash come from?
The first records of dash come from the later 1200s. It comes from the Middle English verb dashen, meaning “to strike violently (with a weapon).”
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What are some other forms related to dash?
- dasher (noun)
What are some synonyms for dash?
What are some words that share a root or word element with dash?
What are some words that often get used in discussing dash?
How is dash used in real life?
Dash is a very common word with multiple meanings, especially “to run quickly.”
Sometimes having a roommate is tragic because today when Allison came home for lunch I wasn't wearing pants & I had to dash to find some
— kayls (@klemireholla) May 27, 2015
Can't see my DM's all of a sudden!! This phone is soon to get dashed against the wall!
— Hal (@halnr3) May 24, 2013
Vote vote vote. I know you don't want to, but please do. It's your vote that may bring change & a dash of hope & belief. So vote vote vote!
— Stephen Fry (@stephenfry) June 8, 2017
Try using dash!
Which of the following words is NOT a synonym of dash?
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.
With 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 Diego
So 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|Digiday
It 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.
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|DAILY BEAST
At 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|DAILY BEAST
Pharmaceutical 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|DAILY BEAST
In 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|DAILY BEAST
Tom leaped on one side; the buffalo-bull turned short round and made another dash at him.Hunting the Lions|R.M. Ballantyne
For 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 Sabatini
They 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-Pattison
A man throws up his arms and tumbles headlong, but those that live dash on.The Courier of the Ozarks|Byron A. Dunn
But 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)
verb (mainly tr)
Word Origin for dash
British Dictionary definitions for dash (2 of 3)
British Dictionary definitions for dash (3 of 3)
Word Origin for dash
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.