dashed

UK: /dæʃt/ US: (dasht)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

dashed¹  (dasht), adj. 

1. made up of dashes:
   a dashed line down the middle of the road.

• dash¹ + -ed² 1640–50

dashed²  (dasht), adj., adv. [Chiefly Brit.]

1. British Terms (used as a euphemism) damned:
   dashed impudence; dashed bad luck.

• 1640–50; dash² + -ed²

dash•ed•ly  (dash′id lē), adv. 

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

dash¹ /dæʃ/   v. 

1. to (cause to) strike or smash violently, esp. so as to break to pieces: [ ~ + obj]:
   The waves dashed the boat to pieces.
   [no obj]:
   The waves dashed against the shore.
2. [ ~ + obj] to throw violently or suddenly:
   dashed a plate against a wall in a fit of rage.
3. [ ~ + obj] to apply roughly, as by splashing;
   splatter:
   to dash paint on a wall.
4. [ ~ + obj] to ruin, destroy, or frustrate:
   The rain dashed our hopes for a picnic.
5. [no obj] to move with great speed;
   rush:
   to dash around the corner.
6. dash off:
   • [no obj] to hurry away;
     leave:
     She dashed off before I could talk to her.
   • Also, dash down. to write, make, accomplish, etc., too quickly or hastily: [ ~ + off + obj ]:
     to dash off a letter.
     [ ~ + obj + off ]:
     to dash it off in a hurry.

n. [countable]

7. a small quantity of anything mixed with something else:
   a dash of salt.
8. a hasty or sudden movement;
   a rush:
   to make a mad dash for the door.
9. Sport a short race:
   the 100-yard dash.
10. a mark or sign (—), used variously in printed or written matter, esp. to note a break, pause, or hesitation, and to separate elements of a sentence or series of sentences, such as a question from its answer.

dash•er, n. [countable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

dash¹  (dash), 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. 

9. to strike with violence:
   The waves dashed against the cliff.
10. to move with violence;
    rush:
    The horses dashed out of the burning stable.
11. dash off:
    • to hurry away;
      leave:
      I must dash off now.
    • Also, dash down. to write, make, accomplish, etc., hastily:
      We dashed off a letter to announce the news. He dashed down a memo.

n. 

12. a small quantity of anything thrown into or mixed with something else:
    a dash of salt.
13. a hasty or sudden movement;
    a rush or sudden onset:
    They all made a dash for the door.
14. 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.
15. the throwing or splashing of liquid against something:
    the dash of the waves against the dock.
16. the sound of such splashing:
    The dash of the waves on the beach could be heard from afar.
17. spirited action;
    élan;
    vigor in action or style:
    The dancer performed with spirit and dash.
18. [Track.] a short race:
    a 100-yard dash.
19. Automotive dashboard (def. 1).
20. Telecommunications a signal of longer duration than a dot, used in groups of dots, dashes, and spaces to represent letters, as in Morse code.
21. a hasty stroke, esp. of a pen.
22. [Archaic.] a violent and rapid blow or stroke.
23. Idioms cut a dash, to make a striking impression;
    be ostentatious or showy.

• Old Norse; compare Danish daske slap, flap, Swedish daska; (noun, nominal) Middle English: blow, clash, derivative of the verb, verbal
• (verb, verbal) Middle English dasshen, perh. 1250–1300

Synonyms

• 10. dart, bolt. See rush ¹.
• 12. pinch, bit; touch.

dash²  (dash), v.t. [Chiefly Brit.]

1. British Terms to damn (usually used interjectionally).

• euphemism based on d—n, printed form of damn 1790–1800

dash³  (dash), (in West Africa)
n. 

1. a tip, bribe, or recompense.
2. bribery.

v.t. 

3. to give a tip or bribe to (esp. a government employee).

• Portuguese das (you) give (2d singular present indicative of dar to give)
• 1780–1790; perh. first recorded in Dutch as dache, dasche (1602); origin, originally uncertain, but often alleged to be

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

dash / dæʃ/ verb (mainly tr)

1. to hurl; crash: he dashed the cup to the floor, the waves dashed against the rocks
2. to mix: white paint dashed with blue
3. (intransitive) to move hastily or recklessly; rush
4. usually followed by off or down: to write (down) or finish (off) hastily
5. to destroy; frustrate: our hopes were dashed
6. to daunt (someone); cast down; discourage

noun

1. a sudden quick movement; dart
2. a small admixture: coffee with a dash of cream
3. a violent stroke or blow
4. the sound of splashing or smashing
5. panache; style: she rides with dash
6. cut a dash ⇒
   See cut33
7. the punctuation mark —, used singly in place of a colon, esp to indicate a sudden change of subject or grammatical anacoluthon, or in pairs to enclose a parenthetical remark
8. the symbol (–) used, in combination with the symbol dot (·), in the written representation of Morse and other telegraphic codes
9. another word (esp US and Canadian) for sprint
10. 
    short for dashboard

Etymology: Middle English dasche, dasse

dash / dæʃ/ interjection

1. 
   a euphemistic word for damn1,