Dictionary
dash
Pronunciation: (dash), [key]—
v.t.
1. to strike or smash violently, esp. so as to break to pieces:
He dashed the plate into smithereens against the wall.
2. to throw or thrust violently or suddenly:
to dash one stone against another.
3. to splash, often violently; bespatter (with water, mud, etc.):
He recovered consciousness when they dashed water in his face.
4. to apply roughly, as by splashing:
to dash paint here and there on the wall.
5. to mix or adulterate by adding another substance:
to dash wine with water.
6. to ruin or frustrate (hopes, plans, etc.):
The rain dashed our hopes for a picnic.
7. to depress; dispirit:
The failure dashed his spirits.
8. to confound or abash:
His rejection dashed and humiliated him.
—
v.i.
1. to strike with violence:
The waves dashed against the cliff.
2. to move with violence; rush:
The horses dashed out of the burning stable.
3. dash off,
a. to hurry away; leave:
I must dash off now.
b. Also,dash down.to write, make, accomplish, etc., hastily:
We dashed off a letter to announce the news. He dashed down a memo.
—
n.
1. a small quantity of anything thrown into or mixed with something else:
a dash of salt.
2. a hasty or sudden movement; a rush or sudden onset:
They all made a dash for the door.
3. the mark or sign (—) used to note an abrupt break or pause in a sentence or hesitation in an utterance, to begin and end a parenthetic word, phrase, or clause, to indicate the omission of letters or words, to divide a line, to substitute for certain uses of the colon, and to separate any of various elements of a sentence or series of sentences, as a question from its answer.
4. the throwing or splashing of liquid against something:
the dash of the waves against the dock.
5. the sound of such splashing:
The dash of the waves on the beach could be heard from afar.
6. spirited action; élan; vigor in action or style:
The dancer performed with spirit and dash.
7. Track.a short race:
a 100-yard dash.
8. dashboard (def. 1).
9. Telegraphy.a signal of longer duration than a dot, used in groups of dots, dashes, and spaces to represent letters, as in Morse code.
10. a hasty stroke, esp. of a pen.
11. Archaic.a violent and rapid blow or stroke.
12. cut a dash, to make a striking impression; be ostentatious or showy.
dash
Pronunciation: (dash), [key]—
v.t. Chiefly Brit.
to damn (usually used interjectionally).
dash
Pronunciation: (dash), [key](in West Africa)
—
n.
1. a tip, bribe, or recompense.
2. bribery.
—
v.t.
to give a tip or bribe to (esp. a government employee).
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
