to crash
Loading your saved state.
to crash
To fall uncontrollably from a great height to the ground and be smashed, especially with airplanes or people in the mountains.
Das kleine Flugzeug ist kurz nach dem Start abgestürzt.
The small airplane crashed shortly after takeoff.
'Abstürzen' (to crash) is a separable verb. The prefix 'ab-' goes at the end in a main clause. In subordinate clauses and in the infinitive with 'zu', the verb stays together.
Pass auf, dass du hier nicht abstürzt!
Be careful that you don't fall here!
The perfect tense of 'abstürzen' (to crash) is always formed with the auxiliary verb 'sein' (to be), because it describes a movement or a sudden change of state. So it is 'ist abgestürzt' (has crashed), not 'hat abgestürzt'.
Gestern ist mein Laptop dreimal abgestürzt.
Yesterday my laptop crashed three times.
The subject of the sentence reveals the meaning. A 'Flugzeug' (airplane) stürzt ab (crashes/falls), a 'Computer' (computer) stürzt ab (crashes/stops working), and a 'Person' (person) can leistungsmäßig abstürzen (crash in terms of performance, get worse).
Die alte Software stürzt auf neuen Rechnern oft ab.
The old software often crashes on new computers.
The meaning 'to drink a lot of alcohol' is purely colloquial. It is used only in informal conversations with friends or in a very casual context.
Er hat auf der Feier so viel getrunken, dass er komplett abgestürzt ist.
He drank so much at the party that he got completely wasted.
to fall
'fallen' and 'abstürzen' can both describe a downward movement. 'fallen' is the more general word: things, people, prices, or numbers can fall. 'abstürzen' is stronger and more dramatic. It often means that someone or something comes down uncontrollably from a great height, for example an airplane or a person in the mountains. Figuratively, 'abstürzen' also means a sudden, sharp drop. Learners may confuse the words because both involve going downward. As a practical rule: for normal situations, you usually use 'fallen'; for a violent, dangerous, or major fall, 'abstürzen' is more likely.
Beim Klettern ist ein Mann abgestürzt und wurde schwer verletzt.
A man fell while climbing and was seriously injured.
Die Preise für Gemüse sind diese Woche etwas gefallen.
Vegetable prices have fallen a little this week.