estrellarse
verbCEFR B2
What does “estrellarse” mean in English?
to crash, to smash into
to crash, to smash into (of a vehicle, aircraft — estrellarse contra algo)
Example sentences
El avión se estrelló contra la ladera de la montaña minutos después de despegar del aeropuerto.
The aircraft crashed into the mountainside minutes after taking off from the airport.
El coche se estrelló contra el quitamiedos en una curva cerrada de la carretera de montaña.
The car crashed into the crash barrier on a tight bend in the mountain road.
Durante los ensayos, el dron se estrelló contra una pared y quedó inutilizable.
During the tests, the drone crashed into a wall and was left unusable.
How to use it
Estrellarse means 'to crash' in the physical sense — a vehicle, aircraft, or object violently colliding with a surface. Always reflexive: se estrelló. The preposition is contra (against a surface): estrellarse contra la pared / la montaña. Don't use estrellarse for economic or metaphorical crashes — that is derrumbarse or desplomarse.
Common mistake
Estrellarse is only for physical collisions — a vehicle hitting something. For economic or figurative crashes (stock markets, plans), use derrumbarse or desplomarse. The reflexive se is obligatory: *'el avión estrelló' is ungrammatical. Preposition is contra, not en or con.