Dash vs. Smash — What's the Difference?

Rapid movement.

Break forcefully.

A sprint in track and field.

To crush emotionally.

Acting quickly.

To break (something) into pieces suddenly, noisily, and violently; shatter.

To ruin or spoil.

To render (something) into a mush or pulp, as by throwing or crushing

The dash is a punctuation mark that is similar in appearance to the hyphen and minus sign but differs from these symbols in length and, in some fonts, height above the baseline. The most common versions of the dash are the en dash –, longer than the hyphen; the em dash —, longer than the en dash; and the horizontal bar ―, whose length varies across typefaces but tends to be between those of the en and em dashes.

To strike with a heavy blow or impact

Run or travel somewhere in a great hurry

(Sports) To hit (a ball, puck, or shuttlecock) in a forceful overhand stroke.

Strike or fling (something) somewhere with great force, especially so as to have a destructive effect; hurl

To cause to come into forceful contact with something

Used to express mild annoyance

To crush or destroy completely

An act of running somewhere suddenly and hastily

To surpass or outdo by a large margin

A small quantity of a liquid added to something else

To move and strike or collide suddenly, noisily, and violently

A horizontal stroke in writing or printing to mark a pause or break in sense or to represent omitted letters or words.

To break suddenly into pieces, as from a violent blow or collision

Impetuous or flamboyant vigour and confidence; panache

(Sports) To hit a ball, puck, or shuttlecock in a forceful overhand stroke.

Short for dashboard

To go bankrupt.

To move with haste; rush

A heavy blow or collision

To strike violently; smash

(Sports) A forceful overhand stroke, as in tennis or badminton.

To break or smash by striking violently

A violent breaking of something or the noise made by such breaking

To hurl, knock, or thrust with sudden violence

Total defeat or destruction; ruin.

To remove by striking or wiping

Financial failure; bankruptcy.

To splash; bespatter

A drink made of mint, sugar, soda water, and alcoholic liquor, usually brandy.

To write hastily. Often used with off

A soft drink made of crushed fruit.

To drink hastily. Often used with down

(Informal) A resounding success

To add an enlivening or altering element to

Of, relating to, or being a resounding success

To affect by adding another element or ingredient to

With a sudden violent crash.

To destroy or wreck

The sound of a violent impact; a violent striking together.

To discourage or dispirit

A traffic collision.

To damn.

(colloquial) Something very successful or popular (as music, food, fashion, etc).

A swift, violent blow or stroke

(tennis) A very hard overhead shot hit sharply downward.

A splash

A bankruptcy.

A small amount of an added ingredient

A disaster; a bad situation.

A quick stroke, as with a pencil or brush.

A mashed foodstuff.

A sudden movement; a rush

A kind of julep cocktail containing chunks of fresh fruit that can be eaten after finishing the drink.

(Sports) A footrace, usually less than a quarter-mile long, run at top speed from the outset.

Airspeed; dynamic pressure.

A spirited quality in action or style; verve.

(transitive) To break (something brittle) violently.

Either of two symbols, an emdash or an endash, used in writing and in printing.

(intransitive) To be destroyed by being smashed.

In Morse and similar codes, the long sound or signal used in combination with the dot and silent intervals to represent letters or numbers.

(transitive) To hit extremely hard.

A dashboard.

To ruin completely and suddenly.

(typography) Any of the following symbols: ‒ (figure dash), – (en dash), — (em dash), or ― (horizontal bar).

To defeat overwhelmingly; to gain a comprehensive success over.

(computing) A hyphen or minus sign.

To deform through continuous pressure.

(by extension) The longer of the two symbols of Morse code.

To have sexual intercourse with.

A short run, flight.

To break in pieces by violence; to dash to pieces; to crush.

A rushing or violent onset.

To hit (the ball) from above the level of the net with a very hard overhand stroke.

Violent strike; a whack.

To break up, or to pieces suddenly, as the result of collision or pressure.

A small quantity of a liquid substance etc.; less than 1/8 of a teaspoon.

A breaking or dashing to pieces; utter destruction; wreck.

A slight admixture.

Hence, bankruptcy.

Ostentatious vigor.

A vigorous blow;

A dashboard.

A serious collision (especially of motor vehicles)

A bribe or gratuity; a gift.

A hard return hitting the tennis ball above your head

A stand-in for a censored word, like "Devil" or "damn". (Compare deuce.)

The act of colliding with something;

The dashboard of a Tumblr user.

A conspicuous success;

(intransitive) To run quickly or for a short distance.

Hit hard;

To leave or depart.

Break into pieces, as by striking or knocking over;

(transitive) To destroy by striking (against).

Reduce to bankruptcy;

(transitive) To throw violently.

Hit violently;

To sprinkle; to splatter.

Humiliate or depress completely;

To mix, reduce, or adulterate, by throwing in something of an inferior quality.

Damage or destroy as if by violence;

To ruin; to destroy.

Hit (a tennis ball) in a powerful overhead stroke

(transitive) To dishearten; to sadden.

Collide or strike violently and suddenly;

To complete hastily.

Overthrow or destroy (something considered evil or harmful);

(transitive) To draw or write quickly; jot.

Break suddenly into pieces, as from a violent blow;

Damn in forming oaths.

With a loud crash;

(euphemistic) Damn!

Hit powerfully in sports.

To throw with violence or haste; to cause to strike violently or hastily; - often used with against.

Overwhelming success.

To break, as by throwing or by collision; to shatter; to crust; to frustrate; to ruin.

Forceful entry.

To put to shame; to confound; to confuse; to abash; to depress.

To throw in or on in a rapid, careless manner; to mix, reduce, or adulterate, by throwing in something of an inferior quality; to overspread partially; to bespatter; to touch here and there; as, to dash wine with water; to dash paint upon a picture.

To form or sketch rapidly or carelessly; to execute rapidly, or with careless haste; - with off; as, to dash off a review or sermon.

To erase by a stroke; to strike out; knock out; - with out; as, to dash out a word.

To rush with violence; to move impetuously; to strike violently; as, the waves dash upon rocks.

Violent striking together of two bodies; collision; crash.

A sudden check; abashment; frustration; ruin; as, his hopes received a dash.

A slight admixture, infusion, or adulteration; a partial overspreading; as, wine with a dash of water; red with a dash of purple.

A rapid movement, esp. one of short duration; a quick stroke or blow; a sudden onset or rush; as, a bold dash at the enemy; a dash of rain.

Energy in style or action; animation; spirit.

A vain show; a blustering parade; a flourish; as, to make or cut a great dash.

A mark or line [-], in writing or printing, denoting a sudden break, stop, or transition in a sentence, or an abrupt change in its construction, a long or significant pause, or an unexpected or epigrammatic turn of sentiment. Dashes are also sometimes used instead of marks or parenthesis.

The sign of staccato, a small mark [ ] denoting that the note over which it is placed is to be performed in a short, distinct manner.

A short, spirited effort or trial of speed upon a race course; - used in horse racing, when a single trial constitutes the race.

Distinctive and stylish elegance;

A quick run

A footrace run at top speed;

A punctuation mark (-) used between parts of a compound word or between the syllables of a word when the word is divided at the end of a line of text

The longer of the two telegraphic signals used in Morse code

The act of moving with great haste;

Run or move very quickly or hastily;

Break into pieces, as by striking or knocking over;

Hurl or thrust violently;

Destroy or break;

Cause to lose courage;

Add an enlivening or altering element to;

A small quantity added.

Dashing involves rapid movement, often running, while smashing involves a violent strike or hit.

Dash is common in emergencies or sports, and smash in contexts involving breakage or powerful impacts.

In sports, a dash is a quick sprint, while a smash is a forceful stroke aimed to conclude play.

Yes, dash cams in vehicles for dash, and smashing as breaking through security in tech contexts.

Yes, both can be metaphorical; dash for quick actions or decisions, smash for overwhelming successes or failures.

It implies a very successful, popular outcome, especially in entertainment.

Dash yes, typically when adding small amounts of ingredients; smash less commonly unless referring to crushing food.

It means to add a small, quick amount of an ingredient or element.

It means they surpass a previous record by a large margin, breaking it forcefully.

Generally, yes, as it often relates to quickness and efficiency.

Yes, it can express ruining or spoiling something, as in hopes being dashed.

It can mean to write something hurriedly or to add a punctuation mark (—) for emphasis or pause.

They often use it when describing actions that involve destroying or hitting toys or figures forcefully.

It often conveys force, impact, and sometimes violence or aggression.

Yes, particularly with phrases like "dashing through the snow" in Christmas carols, suggesting swift movement.