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:
But he is staying despite the fact that the facade of his building was ripped open by a guided aerial bomb.
From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026
"I just got this massive sharp bang in my head. It was like a bomb had gone off," said Saskia, who lives between Worcester and Gloucester.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
Laura Miller explains why Taika Waititi’s adaptation is shaping up to be a legendary box-office bomb.
From Slate ● Oct. 28, 2026
A Libyan man accused of building the bomb that brought down an American airliner over Lockerbie nearly 38 years ago has lost his bid to have the case thrown out of court.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
The kid who was emceeing the rally announced the next speaker, a girl named Ishani who had survived a rain bomb in India last year.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
USVs several metres long and capable of carrying bombs churned up the marina's still waters as they showed off their speed and agility, while UUVs, designed to inspect the seabed hovered below the surface.
From Barron's ● Nov. 3, 2026
As Hedda Gabler warned, bored women are time bombs whose agitation puts everyone at risk.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
We were warned there might be unexploded bombs from World War Two unearthed during the construction.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
Junior transport minister, Kier Mather said removing the masts had reduced the risk of them toppling on to and detonating the bombs.
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026
More tests, he wrote, and ever more powerful bombs, would only make the world more dangerous for everyone.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
In 2006, she memorably performed as a kids’ birthday party entertainer—and bombed.
From Slate ● Oct. 2, 2026
In Paktia, an official said jets had bombed the Afghan Armed Forces' 203 Mansouri Corps, which is controlled by the Taliban, without providing any information on casualties.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
Iran hasn’t accepted inspections of its core nuclear sites since they were bombed in June 2025.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
They also came after Israel bombed the disused Abu Duhur airbase in the country's northwest earlier in the week, claiming it wanted to avert Turkish troops deploying to the facility.
From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026
They were standing outside a bombed house whose cellar was half open to the sky and had the appearance of a gigantic cave.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
It was not clear who was responsible for the bombing.
From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026
He has spoken of turning military achievements into diplomatic ones, a nod to negotiated solutions, and has described Netanyahu’s goal of regime change in Iran during the U.S.-Israeli bombing campaign as too ambitious.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
Incredibly, the family survived tragedy during the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026
Recognizing its importance to Germany's nuclear ambitions, Allied forces targeted the plant through sabotage and bombing operations.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026
If North Vietnam agreed to a cease-fire and returned the American prisoners of war, Nixon said, he would end the bombing and withdraw the remaining American troops.
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
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