barrage
[ buh-rahzh; especially British bar-ahzh for 1, 2, 4, 5; bahr-ij for 3 ]
/ bəˈrɑʒ; especially British ˈbær ɑʒ for 1, 2, 4, 5; ˈbɑr ɪdʒ for 3 /
noun
Military. a heavy barrier of artillery fire to protect one's own advancing or retreating troops or to stop the advance of enemy troops.
an overwhelming quantity or explosion, as of words, blows, or criticisms: a barrage of questions.
Civil Engineering. an artificial obstruction in a watercourse to increase the depth of the water, facilitate irrigation, etc.
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), bar·raged, bar·rag·ing.
to subject to a barrage.
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RELATED WORDS
shower, salvo, hail, fusillade, bombardment, storm, volley, blast, gunfire, stream, deluge, burst, onslaught, assault, surge, attack, rain, torrent, battery, cannonade
Nearby words
- barracks lawyer,
- barracoon,
- barracouta,
- barracuda,
- barracudina,
- barrage balloon,
- barramunda,
- barramundi,
- barranca,
- barrancabermeja
Origin of barrage
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for barrage
barrage
/ (ˈbærɑːʒ) /
noun
military the firing of artillery to saturate an area, either to protect against an attack or to support an advance
an overwhelming and continuous delivery of something, as words, questions, or punches
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
fencing a heat or series of bouts in a competition
verb
(tr) to attack or confront with a barragethe speaker was barraged with abuse
Word Origin for barrage
C19: from French, from barrer to obstruct; see bar 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
barrage
1859, "action of barring; man-made barrier in a stream," from French barrer "to stop," from barre "bar," from Old French barre (see bar (n.1)). Artillery sense is 1916, from World War I French phrase tir de barrage "barrier fire" intended to isolate the objective. As a verb by 1917. Related: Barraged; barraging.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper