Collision vs collusion

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Grammarist

Collision and collusion are two words that are very similar in spelling and in pronunciation, but have very different meanings. We’ll look at the meanings of collision and collusion, their origins, and some examples of how these words are used in sentences.

A collision may be a crash between two moving objects or one stationary and one moving object. Collision may also refer to a clashing of ideas or interests. In insurance terms, collision insurance covers the cost of repairs to your car if it is in a wreck. Collision is the noun form of the verb collide, derived from the Latin word collidere which means strike together.

Collusion describes two or more people secretly plotting an illegal or fraudulent action. Collusion may refer to the plot itself or the act of planning the plot. Collusion comes from the Latin word collusionem which describes the act of colluding. Collusion is the noun form of the verb collude. Remember, a collision is a crash between two things, collusion is a secret, fraudulent plot between two people.

Examples

Authorities say a farm tractor operator died after a collision with a semitrailer on U.S. Highway 61 in eastern Iowa’s Clinton County. (The Daily Progress)

On collision course: Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola prepare charges for the most expensive game in Premier League history (The South China Morning Post)

In the aftermath of the collusion case, experts voiced their concerns that the company failed to come up with more effective countermeasures while leaving the internal monitoring system poorly managed and thus susceptible to similar incidents in the future. (Business Korea)

For months now, there have been allegations of collusion among the generating companies (gencos) to push up power prices. (The Philippine Star)