Sammenstøtet

Sammenstøtet is a Norwegian noun that denotes a collision, clash, or confrontation. It can refer to a physical impact between objects or vehicles, as well as to a confrontation between people, groups, or ideas. In a figurative sense, it is used to describe conflicts of interest, competing positions, or heated exchanges.

The word is formed from the elements sammen meaning together and støte meaning to strike or push, with the definite singular form sammenstøtet. The base form is sammenstøt, the indefinite singular. In plural, the forms are sammenstøt (indefinite) and sammenstøtene (definite).

Sammenstøtet is commonly used in news reporting, sports, politics, and everyday language. Physical contexts include traffic collisions, industrial accidents, or military engagements. In social or political contexts, it can describe protests that escalate into clashes, debates that intensify into confrontations, or competing factions encountering each other in a heated moment. The term carries a neutral to descriptive tone, suitable for objective reporting as well as analytic discussion.

Related terms include sammenstøt (clash or altercation more generally) and kollisjon (collision in a purely physical sense). The expression is versatile but tends toward describing moments of contact, impact, or conflict, rather than prolonged or systemic disputes.

In summary, sammenstøtet refers to a moment of contact and conflict, whether physical or symbolic, and is a common term in Norwegian for describing clashes and collisions in various contexts.