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to smash the head

to smash the head

8.8
Hit a person's head very hard and cause serious injury
  • phrasal verb
  • /smæʃ ðə hɛd/
  • Offensive
translation icon : reventarle la cabeza a alguien
  • The attacker tried to smash the head of his enemy with a heavy object.

Examples

  • Don't smash the head of that poor animal!

  • In the novel, the villain threatens to smash the head of anyone who betrays him.

  • She warned him not to smash the head of the statue while moving it.

  • Why would anyone smash the head of another person?

  • He smashed the head of the mannequin to demonstrate the strength of the toy.

  • The boxing champion smashed his opponent's head with a powerful right hook.

  • During the fight, he accidentally smashed the head of the opponent against the ring post.

Synonyms

to brain
vsto smash the head
  • NSFW
16 9.9

To hit someone hard on the head to seriously hurt them

is a violent attack aimed at the skull often causing serious harm
to coldcock
vsto smash the head
  • NSFW
4 9.9

To knock someone out with one sudden hard punch

covers any violent skull strike, not only quick knockouts
to headbutt
vsto smash the head
4 6.1

To hit someone or something hard with your head

includes violent skull strikes by any method, not only using one's head
to beat someone's brains out
vsto smash the head
  • Offensive
1 9.4

To work very hard or to threaten to hit someone

is the literal violent strike to the skull rather than a threat or exaggeration
to smash someone's face in
vsto smash the head
  • Offensive
1 9.8

Hit someone in the face very hard to hurt them

focuses on strikes to the skull rather than mainly front features
to cosh
vsto smash the head
  • NSFW
9.9

To hit someone with a short heavy stick, often on the head

is a general violent skull strike not limited to a weapon blow
to bash someone's face in
vsto smash the head
  • NSFW
9.9

To hit someone's face very hard to hurt them

is similar but targets the skull area more broadly
to break someone's face
vsto smash the head
  • Offensive
9.9

Threaten to hit a person's face and hurt them

is the actual violent attack rather than merely a threatening remark

Antonyms

481 1.2

To become healthy again after an injury, illness, or emotional pain

347 1.0

Look after a sick or injured person and give them needed help

How Violent

to smash the head
  • Offensive
8.8
to headbutt
4 6.1
pat
1.0

Surface Forms

smash the head infinitive
smashed the head past participle
smashing the head present participle
smashes the head third person singular

Morphology

smash + the + head

The phrase is compositionally literal: 'smash' (to break or strike with great force) applied to 'head' (the body part) yields the violent action described, and the definite article does not change this basic meaning. This literal, cross-linguistically common construction would be understandable to a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.

Etymology

Smash the head comes from the literal image of the verb smash, meaning to hit or break very hard, being done to the head with a heavy object. That's why it means 'to violently strike or attack a person's head'.