dash

[[t]dæ̱ʃ[/t]]

dashes, dashing, dashed

1) VERB If you dash somewhere, you run or go there quickly and suddenly.

[V adv/prep] Suddenly she dashed down to the cellar...

[V adv/prep] She dashed in from the garden.

N-SING

Dash is also a noun.

...a 160-mile dash to hospital.

2) VERB: no cont If you say that you have to dash, you mean that you are in a hurry and have to leave immediately. [INFORMAL]

Oh, Tim! I'm sorry but I have to dash...

See you tomorrow night. Must dash now.

Syn:

rush

3) N-COUNT: usu N of n A dash of something is a small quantity of it which you add when you are preparing food or mixing a drink.

Pour over olive oil and a dash of balsamic vinegar to accentuate the sweetness.

4) N-COUNT: usu N of n A dash of a quality is a small amount of it that is found in something and often makes it more interesting or distinctive.

...a story with a dash of mystery thrown in.

...A fake fur collar or cuff adds a dash of glamour to even the simplest style.

5) VERB If you dash something somewhere, you throw or push it violently, often so hard that it breaks. [LITERARY]

[V n against n] She seized the doll and dashed it against the stone wall with tremendous force. [Also V n prep]

6) VERB If an event or person dashes someone's hopes or expectations, it destroys them by making it impossible that the thing that is hoped for or expected will ever happen. [JOURNALISM, LITERARY]

[V n] The Bank of England dashed hopes yesterday of a rush to economic recovery by warning that Britain's upturn will be slow...

[have n V-ed] The participants will experience having their hopes and expectations raised and then dashed.

7) N-SING If you do something in a dash, you do it very quickly, perhaps with very bad results.

He's in a dash to get Russia back into Europe.

...the dash to buy shares in internet companies.

Syn:

rush

8) N-COUNT A dash is a short fast race. [AM]

Syn:

sprint

9) N-COUNT A dash is a straight, horizontal line used in writing, for example to separate two main clauses whose meanings are closely connected.

10) EXCLAM (feelings) You can say dash or dash it or dash it all when you are rather annoyed about something. [BRIT, INFORMAL, OLD-FASHIONED]

Dash it all. It's just not playing the game, is it?

11) N-COUNT The dash of a car is its dashboard.

12) N-UNCOUNT Dash is a mixture of stylishness, enthusiasm, and courage. [OLD-FASHIONED]

The Prince was driving with great fire and dash.

Syn:

panache, verve

13) PHRASE: V inflects If you say that someone cuts a dash, you mean that they have an attractively stylish appearance or a rather bold manner. [OLD-FASHIONED]

If you're determined to cut a dash in a designer dress, consider hiring one.

14) PHRASE: V inflects, PHR n If you make a dash for a place, you run there very quickly, for example to escape from someone or something.

I made a dash for the front door but he got there before me...

Hand clamped over his mouth, he made a dash for the bathroom.

Phrasal Verbs:

- dash off