What does broadsided mean?
"Broadsided" is the past tense and past participle of the verb "broadside", meaning to strike or crash into the side of something. Its most common modern use describes road accidents in which one vehicle slams into the side of another — the classic side-impact or T-bone collision familiar from traffic reports. By extension, the word has developed a vivid figurative sense: a person can be broadsided by hostile questions, scathing reviews, or a barrage of criticism, suggesting an attack delivered head-on and with full force. The term carries nautical origins, since a warship's broadside was the combined firepower discharged from all guns along one side of its hull. Strongly associated with American English and journalistic writing, "broadsided" conveys suddenness, impact, and overwhelming force, whether on the highway or in public debate.
To strike or crash into the side of something, especially when one vehicle collides with the side of another.
"The driver ran the stop sign and was broadsided by an oncoming lorry."
Most frequent in American traffic reporting; the noun form is 'broadside'.
Figuratively, to attack someone with a forceful outburst of criticism, questions, or abuse.
"The chief executive was broadsided by reporters over the company's environmental record."
The word comes straight from naval warfare: a warship's 'broadside' was the devastating volley fired from all the guns along one side of the hull.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of broadsided
The word derives from "broadside", formed in English from "broad" + "side". Originally a nautical term for the simultaneous discharge of all guns mounted along one side of a warship, dating from around the late sixteenth or early seventeenth century, it later extended to the side of a ship itself and then to any forceful blow delivered sideways. The verb sense of striking an object on its side developed from this, and the automotive collision sense emerged in twentieth-century American usage alongside the rise of the automobile.
Related word forms
How broadsided is actually used
Primarily used in American English, especially in traffic-accident reporting, where a 'broadside collision' is a standard term for a side-impact crash. The figurative use is journalistic in register. Because it is an inflected form of the verb "broadside", it functions as a finite verb or participle rather than standing alone.
Easily confused with broadsided
"Blindsided" means taken by surprise from an unexpected direction, whereas "broadsided" means struck squarely on the side — either literally, as in a collision, or figuratively with strong criticism.