bomb
Americannoun
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bombs
plural
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Military. a projectile, formerly usually spherical, filled with a bursting charge and exploded by means of a fuze, by impact, or otherwise, now generally designed to be dropped from an aircraft.
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any similar missile or explosive device used as a weapon, to disperse crowds, etc..
a time bomb;
a smoke bomb.
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Also called volcanic bomb. Geology. a rough spherical or ellipsoidal mass of lava, ejected from a volcano and hardened while falling.
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Meteorology. a weather bomb.
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Football. a long forward pass, especially one to a teammate who scores a touchdown.
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Slang. an absolute failure; fiasco.
The play was a bomb and closed after two performances.
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Computers. a catastrophic program failure or system failure.
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Slang. the bomb, something or someone that is excellent or very impressive.
Her boyfriend is the bomb!
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Chiefly British Slang. an overwhelming success.
The novel is selling like a bomb.
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Jazz. a sudden, unexpected accent or rhythmic figure played by a drummer during a performance.
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a lead or lead-lined container for transporting and storing radioactive materials.
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the bomb,
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nuclear weapons collectively.
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Slang. a powerful automobile or other vehicle.
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Slang. something unpleasant that is unexpected or shocking (often used in combination with the first letter of an offensive or unmentionable word, as in ).
He's always dropping f-bombs.
Then came the bomb about the staff cuts.
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Slang. something unauthorized or illegal that is executed in a stealthy manner, typically having an overwhelming or sensational effect (used in combination, as in ).
verb (used with object)
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bombs,
present (3rd person singular)
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bombed,
past participle, past
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bombing
present participle
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to hurl bombs at or drop bombs upon, as from an airplane; bombard.
The enemy planes bombed the city.
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to explode by means of a bomb or explosive.
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to damage, ruin, defeat, etc., as if with bombs.
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Computers. to deliberately cause (a computer system) to fail with a program written for the purpose.
verb (used without object)
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bombs,
present (3rd person singular)
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bombed,
past participle, past
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bombing
present participle
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to hurl or drop bombs.
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to explode a bomb or bombs.
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Slang. to be or make a complete failure, especially to fail to please or gain an audience (sometimes followed byout ).
His last play bombed on Broadway.
The business bombed out with a $25,000 debt.
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Computers. (of a computer program or system) to fail catastrophically.
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Slang. to spray-paint graffiti over many surfaces in an area, working quickly and using simple forms and designs.
He made his reputation bombing on the east side of town.
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Informal. to move very quickly.
They came bombing through here on their motorcycles at 2 a.m.
noun
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a hollow projectile containing an explosive, incendiary, or other destructive substance, esp one carried by aircraft
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( as modifier )
bomb disposal
a bomb bay
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( in combination )
a bombload
bombproof
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any container filled with explosive
a car bomb
a letter bomb
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a hydrogen or atomic bomb considered as the ultimate destructive weapon
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slang something excellent
it's the bomb
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a round or pear-shaped mass of volcanic rock, solidified from molten lava that has been thrown into the air
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med a container for radioactive material, applied therapeutically to any part of the body
a cobalt bomb
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slang a large sum of money (esp in the phrase make a bomb )
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slang a disastrous failure
the new play was a total bomb
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slang an old or dilapidated motorcar
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American football a very long high pass
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(in rugby union) another term for up-and-under
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informal with great speed or success; very well (esp in the phrase go like a bomb )
verb
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to attack with or as if with a bomb or bombs; drop bombs (on)
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informal (intr; often foll by off, along, etc) to move or drive very quickly
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slang (intr) to fail disastrously; be a flop See also bomb out
the new play bombed
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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bombsimple
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bombssimple
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have bombedperfect
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has bombedperfect
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am bombingprogressive
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are bombingprogressive
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is bombingprogressive
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have been bombingperfect progressive
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has been bombingperfect progressive
Past
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bombedsimple
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had bombedperfect
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was bombingprogressive
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were bombingprogressive
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had been bombingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of bomb
First recorded in 1580–90; earlier bom(b)e, from Spanish bomba (de fuego) “ball (of fire),” akin to bombo “drum,” from Latin bombus “a booming sound,” from Greek bómbos
Vocabulary lists containing bomb
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Even worse, Zaslav torched multiple projects while reportedly calling in personal favors for celebrity friends like Nicholas Pileggi, who penned the script for WBD’s 2025 bomb The Alto Knights, at great expense to the studio.
From Slate ● Sep. 1, 2026
A US federal judge postponed on Monday the trial of a Libyan man accused of making the bomb that destroyed a Pan Am flight over Scotland in 1988, killing 270 people, citing new evidence.
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026
In 2006, North Korea conducted its first nuclear bomb test.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
In 2006 it was confirmed that North Korea had successfully conducted an underground nuclear test and was on its way to building a bomb.
From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026
Andrei Sakharov, the physicist who led the Soviet hydrogen bomb program, borrowed a piece of paper from a scientist next to him.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
Breakfast burritos in L.A. are canvases for individual creative expression, innovations that graft global cuisines or basic energy bombs to fuel the day.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
It has tested nuclear bombs six times and has the capability to deliver them via long range missiles that can reach continental US.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
As Japan marks the anniversary of the 1945 atomic bombs, its leaders are pushing for a renewed debate on nuclear weapons in a challenge to the nation's long-time pacifist stance.
From Barron's ● Aug. 9, 2026
Except for Iran, of course, which he alternately bombs, demonizes and flatters.
From Salon ● Aug. 7, 2026
The American military had the lead in planes and bombs.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
It’s like bringing back old Coke after new Coke bombed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
Surviving crews say they were bombed, and detained, by U.S. forces.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
Welcome to Lukyanivka, one of the most heavily bombed neighborhoods in Ukraine’s capital city, but still one of the liveliest.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
Heavily bombed during World War Two because of its huge manufacturing capacity, Manchester became a creative hub from the 1980s onwards with bands like New Order and Oasis achieving global fame.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
“I don’t really believe we bombed Central Europe, do you?” said Finny thoughtfully.
From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles
But experience since 2022, “and a century of strategic bombing before that, say sustained air attack hardens societies rather than breaking them, and there is nothing in the Ukrainian data suggesting otherwise,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
Fhimah worked for the carrier in Malta before the bombing of Pan Am 103.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
Only one person has so far been convicted for the bombing.
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026
He queried aides about why Iran wasn’t backing down amid the unrelenting bombing campaign.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
He was against the bombing of North Vietnam, and she knew that.
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
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.
