to smash up
5
4.7
- phrasal verb
- /smæʃ ʌp/
- Informal
:
destrozar
- I smashed up the car.
- smashed the car up
- smash things up
- starts smashing up
So I'm just going to smash these up, get my anger out.
- So I'm just going to smash these up, get my anger out.
- So buy the Fenty one, smash it up and mix it with your moisturizer or a lip balm.
- You can make much more money borrowing money from a bank, buying a corporation, smashing it up, selling off parts.
- We're going to smash those streets up with our urban realness.
- And the cable does in fact come down and it like smashes up the entire equator, right?
- But he is still smashing people up in boxing, still got that power and the power's the last thing to go.
- I will not pay you if you fucking smash up the VIP.
Examples
-
Every so often, one or the other would back off and get a running start and smash up against it.
Fiction book (1990) -
The vast majority of these kids are smashing things up.
Blog text (3) -
So, he smashed up all the other ones people made.
-
"They smashed things up and made a big production out of it.
Blog text (20) -
I'm the one who smashed your car up.
-
They smashed up our computers.
-
They're always smashing things up.
-
Twin brothers Steven and Brian Krieger are smashing up cars to let off steam.
-
The kids accidentally smash up the old toy during playtime.
-
After the argument, he went outside and smash up his old laptop in frustration.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
To change a large bill into smaller bills
∞
1.0
To pull something so it breaks into pieces
553
4.0
To break something so it does not work
534
2.7
To cause something to explode violently
401
1.6
To press something hard so it breaks or loses its shape
311
2.1
To break something into many pieces using great force
225
2.9
To badly damage or destroy something
91
4.7
To break a hard object, for example a bone or rock
72
2.8
To break suddenly into many small pieces, like glass
66
2.7
Separate something into smaller pieces
64
3.8
To break or remove something by force, often by hitting it
57
3.2
Make a building or wall fall down suddenly
56
1.9
To cut something into smaller pieces by sharp blows again and again with a knife or axe
39
2.7
To rip something into small pieces
34
5.8
To break something into pieces by hitting it hard
32
1.1
Make something into smaller pieces using scissors or a knife
26
3.0
To separate into pieces, for example a machine or a group
21
3.9
To break into many small, sharp pieces like wood or glass
13
2.1
To open something suddenly by force, for example a locked door or jar
11
4.1
To completely destroy something, often hopes or plans
10
8.7
To pull something apart with great force
9
9.0
To divide something into parts, often breaking a company or country
8
7.6
Damage something badly, often by hitting or dropping it
8
2.8
To tear something into small pieces
8
5.4
Break something into many small parts or hurt someone very badly
7
1.8
To break something violently into pieces
5
3.9
To damage something badly, often by biting or tearing
2
3.5
To come off a larger thing, often because of force or damage
1
3.5
To force open a door or window to get inside
1
9.1
To break something into pieces
To divide something into parts, for example by cutting it or by sharing it among people
Make something stop working by hitting or dropping it
To break something into many small pieces
Antonyms
How Damaged
Surface Forms
Morphology
smash + up
The meaning 'to damage or destroy something violently by breaking it into pieces' is directly derivable from 'smash' (to break or ruin by force) combined with the particle 'up', which commonly signals thoroughness or complete destruction. This verb+particle compositional pattern is regular and predictable for learners who know the constituents, so a B1 learner would readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Smash up comes from the image of hitting something so hard that it breaks into pieces: smash is to hit and break, and up shows the action is done completely. So, to smash up something today means 'to damage' or 'destroy' it badly.