adjective
smashing
SMA-shihng
adjective
1
(informal, British) Excellent or wonderful.
"We had a smashing time at the seaside."
"That's a smashing idea — let's do it."
noun
1
The act of breaking something violently, or a crushing defeat.
"The riot ended in the smashing of shop windows."
How to Use Smashing
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishDepending on context, either the destruction of something, or (British slang) fantastic.
UK vs US
The "wonderful" sense is chiefly British and now sounds a bit old-fashioned.
Word Forms
more smashing comparative, smashings plural, most smashing superlative
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Etymology
From smash plus -ing. The "wonderful" sense arose in early-20th-century American English, likely linked to the phrase "smash hit" rather than to any Gaelic phrase, despite a popular but unsupported folk theory.
Rhymes for smashing
dashing
washing
lashing
bashing
flashing
crashing
clashing
trashing
slashing
thrashing
splashing
squashing
See all rhymes for smashing →