barrage

American  

[buh-rahzh, bar-ahzh, bahr-ij] / bəˈrɑʒ, ˈbær ɑʒ, ˈbɑr ɪdʒ /

noun

1. Military. a heavy barrier of artillery fire to protect one's own advancing or retreating troops or to stop the advance of enemy troops.

2. an overwhelming quantity or explosion, as of words, blows, or criticisms.

   a barrage of questions.

   Synonyms:

   storm, burst, deluge, torrent, volley

3. Civil Engineering. an artificial obstruction in a watercourse to increase the depth of the water, facilitate irrigation, etc.

4. Mycology. an aversion response of sexually incompatible fungus cultures that are growing in proximity, revealed by a persistent growth gap between them.

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verb (used with object)

barraged, barraging

1. to subject to a barrage.

barrage British  

/ ˈbærɑːʒ /

noun

1. military the firing of artillery to saturate an area, either to protect against an attack or to support an advance

2. an overwhelming and continuous delivery of something, as words, questions, or punches

3. a usually gated construction, similar to a low dam, across a watercourse, esp one to increase the depth of water to assist navigation or irrigation

4. fencing a heat or series of bouts in a competition

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verb

1. (tr) to attack or confront with a barrage

   the speaker was barraged with abuse

Etymology

Origin of barrage

1855–60; < French: blocking, barring off, barrier, equivalent to barr ( er ) to bar ¹ + -age -age; artillery sense by ellipsis from French tir de barrage barrier fire

Example Sentences

Separately, a missile barrage was fired at Riyadh on Wednesday evening.

From The Wall Street Journal

Iran retaliated with two attacks on a major gas hub in Qatar and a missile barrage fired at the Saudi capital, Riyadh, as the war entered a new phase.

From The Wall Street Journal

It comes amid efforts by companies and governments frequently targeted by lawsuits to rein in a barrage of litigation.

From Los Angeles Times

They have been using multimillion-dollar missiles and jet fighters to intercept a barrage of Iran’s Shahed drones, which cost just tens of thousands of dollars.

From The Wall Street Journal

They also believe that the group maintains the ability to coordinate barrages with Iran.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• assault
• attack
• blast
• bombardment
• burst
• deluge
• hail
• onslaught
• rain
• shower
• storm
• stream
• surge
• torrent