smash up
Definition
Verb: - To damage or destroy something severely, often through violent or forceful impact. This action typically results in significant, visible destruction.
Usage
The verb "smash up" is used to describe the act of causing extensive damage, usually to an object or property. It implies a level of violence, recklessness, or force. It is a transitive verb, requiring a direct object (the thing that is damaged).
Examples
- Verb:
- Vandals broke into the empty building and smashed up all the windows.
- He got so angry that he smashed up his guitar on stage.
- The teenagers smashed up the car of his mother.
Advanced Usage
- "to get smashed up": This passive form describes something that has been severely damaged.
- The bar got smashed up during the riot.
- The phrase often carries a connotation of wanton or deliberate destruction, not accidental damage.
Variants and Related Words
- Smash (verb): To break something violently into pieces. This is the root verb and can be used without "up," though "smash up" often emphasizes the resulting state of destruction.
- Wreck (verb): To destroy or ruin something completely.
- Trash (verb, informal): To destroy or damage something badly.
- Demolish (verb): To completely destroy a building or structure.
Synonyms
- Wreck
- Destroy
- Demolish
- Vandalize
- Bash up (informal, similar to "bang up")
Related Phrasal Verbs
- Bang up (verb, informal): To damage or injure. It is very similar in meaning to "smash up."
- He banged up his knee during the game.
- She banged up the car in the accident.
- Smash in: To break something by hitting it so that it collapses inward.
- The thief smashed in the car window.
Related Idioms
- Smash something to smithereens: To break something into tiny pieces.
- The explosion smashed the building to smithereens.
- Total (verb, slang): To completely wreck a vehicle.
- He totaled his new car in the crash. (This is a synonym in specific contexts.)
Verb
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damage or destroy as if by violence
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The teenager banged up the car of his mother
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