verb

bash

verb

To hit something hard and roughly.

"He bashed his knee on the coffee table in the dark."

"Someone had bashed a dent into the side of the car."

To criticise someone or something harshly and often unfairly.

"The newspaper column bashed the government's new policy."

noun

(informal) A lively party or celebration.

"They threw a huge bash for her fortieth birthday."

How to Use Bash

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishTo hit something hard, to criticise something harshly, or (as a noun) a big party.

Common mistake

Don't confuse with Bash, the capitalised name of the Unix command-line shell — unrelated in modern usage even though spelled the same.

Common pairings

bash into birthday bash media bash

bashed past tense, bashed past tense, bashes plural, bashes singular, bashes singular

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He _____ his knee on the coffee table in the dark.

From Middle English, probably from a Scandinavian source related to Old Norse baska, "to strike" — the same root family as Swedish basa, "to whip."

ash lash mash rash cash dash wash hash sash Tash Nash Kash