dash

noun, verb

sth done quickly 1 [sing.] a ~ (for sth) an act of going somewhere suddenly and/or quickly: When the doors opened, there was a mad dash for seats. * a 60-mile dash to safety * He jumped off the bus and made a dash for the nearest bar. * We waited for the police to leave then made a dash for it (= left quickly in order to escape). 2 [sing.] an act of doing sth quickly because you do not have enough time: a last-minute dash to buy presents small amount 3 [C,usually sing.] ~ (of sth) a small amount of sth that is added to sth else: Add a dash of lemon juice. * The rug adds a dash of colour to the room. * The album is a mixture of rock and gospel, with a dash of jazz thrown in. compareSPLASH symbol 4 [C] the mark(-) used to separate parts of a sentence, often instead of a COLON or in pairs instead of BRACKETS compareHYPHEN race 5 [C,usually sing.] (especially AmE) a race in which the competitors run very fast over a short distance SYNSPRINT: the 100-meter dash way of behaving 6 [U] (old-fashioned, approving) a way of behaving that combines style, enthusiasm and confidence: He brought youthful energy, dash and charisma to the department. part of car 7 [C] (informal) = DASHBOARD seealsoPEBBLE-DASH IDIOMS cut a dash (BrE) to look attractive in a particular set of clothes, especially in a way that makes other people notice you: He cut quite a dash in his uniform.

go quickly 1 [V] [usually +adv./prep.] to go somewhere very quickly: I must dash (= leave quickly), I'm late. * She dashed off to keep an appointment. * He dashed along the platform and jumped on the train. throw / beat 2 [+adv./prep.] to throw sth or make sth fall violently onto a hard surface; to beat against a surface: [VN] The boat was dashed repeatedly against the rocks. * [V] The waves were dashing against the harbour wall. IDIOMS dash sb's hopes to destroy sb's hopes by making what they were hoping for impossible: Hopes of a peaceful settlement have been dashed. dash (it)!