a simultaneous or successive discharge of artillery, bombs, etc.
a round of fire given as a salute.
a round of cheers or applause.
an excuse or quibbling evasion.
something to save a person's reputation or soothe a person's feelings.
a discharge of fire from weapons in unison, esp on a ceremonial occasion
concentrated fire from many weapons, as in a naval battle
an outburst, as of applause
an excuse or evasion
an expedient to save a reputation or soothe hurt feelings
(in legal documents) a saving clause; reservation
1585–95; earlier salva < Italian ≪ Latin salvē salve 3
1635–45; < Latin salvō, ablative of salvus safe, found in legal phrases
A salvo is when troops fire their guns all at the same time. A salvo of shots might signal the beginning of a military battle. Another word for the gunfire kind of salvo is a "volley." Military planners have used salvos as a way to overwhelm an opposing army, including during engagements between battleships and tanks. You can also use salvo in a more figurative way, describing a verbal barrage or attack: "Her direct, almost rude questions were seen as the opening salvo in the battle between the two political candidates."
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Dataland’s inaugural exhibition, “Machine Dreams: Rainforest,” is the studio’s opening salvo in the battle to redefine our burgeoning relationship with the evolving technology.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2026
But Kuwait said it received 30 Iranian missiles and drones—a wartime salvo by any reckoning.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 3, 2026
In the first salvo of a potentially ugly labor battle, the 30 franchises proposed a ceiling for the first time in more than 30 years.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026
But Harper's salvo proved to be in vain as Venezuela regained the lead in the ninth inning, punishing a shaky performance from US reliever Garrett Whitlock to clinch victory.
From Barron's • Mar. 18, 2026
Another salvo of three bombs exploded as Tom Bolles’s boys passed the finish line an astonishing five lengths ahead of Syracuse.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
