# crash

> English word · Noun · IPA /kɹæʃ/ · frequency rank #2,722

## Definitions
1. A sudden, intense, loud sound, as made for example by cymbals.
2. An automobile, airplane, or other vehicle accident.
3. A malfunction of computer software or hardware which causes it to shut down or become partially or totally inoperable.
4. A sudden large decline of business or the prices of stocks (especially one that causes additional failures).
5. A comedown from a drug.
6. A group of rhinoceroses.
7. A sudden decline in any living form's population levels, often leading to extinction.

## Etymology
From Middle English crasshen, crasschen, craschen (“to break into pieces”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps from a variant of earlier *crasken, from crasen (“to break”) + -k (formative suffix); or from earlier *craskien, *craksien, a variant of craken (“to crack, break open”) (for form development compare break, brask, brash).

## Easily confused with
- **CRS** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crash-vs-crs)
- **cray** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crash-vs-cray)
- **Cris** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crash-vs-cris)
- **crazy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crash-vs-crazy)
- **cross** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crash-vs-cross)
- **crush** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crash-vs-crush)
- **crawl** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crash-vs-crawl)
- **crisp** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crash-vs-crisp)
- **crust** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crash-vs-crust)
- **crest** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crash-vs-crest)
- **crate** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crash-vs-crate)
- **crave** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crash-vs-crave)
- **craze** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crash-vs-craze)
- **crass** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crash-vs-crass)
- **Crist** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crash-vs-crist)
- **crease** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crash-vs-crease)
- **crashed** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crash-vs-crashed)
- **crashes** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/crash-vs-crashes)
- **cas** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cas-vs-crash)
- **case** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/case-vs-crash)

## Common misspellings (8)
`carsh`, `ccrash`, `crahs`, `crashh`, `crassh`, `crrash`, `crsah`, `rcash`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/crash