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barrage

[buh-rahzh; especially British bar-ahzh for 1, 2, 4, 5; bahr-ij for 3]
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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

  1. barracks lawyer,
  2. barracoon,
  3. barracouta,
  4. barracuda,
  5. barracudina,
  6. barrage balloon,
  7. barramunda,
  8. barramundi,
  9. barranca,
  10. barrancabermeja

Origin of barrage

1855–60; < French: blocking, barring off, barrier, equivalent to barr(er) to bar1 + -age -age; artillery sense by ellipsis from French tir de barrage barrier fire
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for barrage

British Dictionary definitions for barrage

barrage

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
Word Origin and History for barrage

barrage

n.

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