barrage

[buh-rahzh, bar-ahzh, bahr-ij]

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.

verb (used with object)

barraged, barraging 

1. to subject to a barrage.

barrage

/ 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

verb

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

   the speaker was barraged with abuse

Word History and Origins

Origin of barrage¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of barrage¹

C19: from French, from barrer to obstruct; see _bar ¹

Example Sentences

Constant alerts from warning systems might compound the problem, presenting professionals with a barrage of data they have to make sense of.

From BBC

He was speaking hours before the latest Russian barrage began hitting Ukrainian cities.

From BBC

Voters in the former Soviet republic go to the polls on Sunday, amid what a BBC investigation found to be a barrage of disinformation spread by a network with ties to Moscow.

From BBC

She faced such an intense barrage of criticism online that the network that aired the interview with her took it down.

From Los Angeles Times

Hamas committed war crimes when it broke through Israel's border defences two years ago, and in the months that followed when it still had the capacity to fire barrages of missiles at Israeli towns.

From BBC

Related Words

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