atomic bomb

Also at·om bomb
Also

[uh-tom-ik bom]

noun

1. a bomb whose potency is derived from nuclear fission of atoms of fissionable material with the consequent conversion of part of their mass into energy.

2. a bomb whose explosive force comes from a chain reaction based on nuclear fission in U-235 or plutonium.

atomic bomb

noun

1. Also called: A-bomb.  fission bomb. a type of bomb in which the energy is provided by nuclear fission. Uranium-235 and plutonium-239 are the isotopes most commonly used in atomic bombs Compare fusion bomb

atomic bomb

1. A very destructive bomb that derives its explosive power from the fission of atomic nuclei. Atomic bombs usually have plutonium 239 or uranium 235 as their fissionable material.

2. Also called atom bomb

atomic bomb

¹

1. A bomb that is powered by nuclear fission, and therefore produces a quick release of energy and great destruction.

atomic bomb

²

1. A nuclear weapon whose enormous explosive power results from the sudden release of energy from a fission reaction. (See also Hiroshima (see also Hiroshima), hydrogen bomb, Nagasaki, and Strategic Arms Limitation Talks [SALT].)

Word History and Origins

Origin of atomic bomb¹

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

Are we going to travel back in time and prevent genocide, world wars, the atomic bomb?

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The mood had gotten worse in 1949, when the Soviet Union tested an atomic bomb.

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In July 1945, the Indy, as she was called, completed one of the most secret missions of World War II. She delivered critical parts of the world’s first atomic bomb to the island of Tinian.

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During the war she’d earned legendary status in the Soviet spy service by sneaking past FBI agents with atomic bomb plans hidden in a tissue box.

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His latest remarks, made minutes before a landmark meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, follow a pattern of deeply contradictory signals about atomic bombs.

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Related Words

• atom bomb 
• hydrogen bomb 
• neutron bomb 
• nuclear warhead