barrage

American  

[buh-rahzh, bar-ahzh, bahr-ij] / bəˈrɑʒ, ˈbær ɑʒ, ˈbɑr ɪdʒ /

noun

1. Military. a heavy barrier of artillery fire to protect one's own advancing or retreating troops or to stop the advance of enemy troops.

2. an overwhelming quantity or explosion, as of words, blows, or criticisms.

   a barrage of questions.

   Synonyms:

   storm, burst, deluge, torrent, volley

3. Civil Engineering. an artificial obstruction in a watercourse to increase the depth of the water, facilitate irrigation, etc.

4. 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)

barrages, present (3rd person singular) barraged, past participle, past barraging present participle

1. to subject to a barrage.

barrage British  

/ ˈbærɑːʒ /

noun

1. military the firing of artillery to saturate an area, either to protect against an attack or to support an advance

2. an overwhelming and continuous delivery of something, as words, questions, or punches

3. 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

4. fencing a heat or series of bouts in a competition

---

verb

1. (tr) to attack or confront with a barrage

   the speaker was barraged with abuse

Other Word Forms

Conjugated Forms

Present

• has barraged
  perfect 3rd person singular
• have barraged
  perfect
• am barraging
  progressive 1st person singular
• has been barraging
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• are barraging
  progressive
• is barraging
  progressive 3rd person singular
• have been barraging
  perfect progressive
• barrages
  singular 3rd person
• barraging
  participle

Past

• had barraged
  perfect
• had been barraging
  perfect progressive
• was barraging
  progressive singular
• were barraging
  progressive plural
• barraged
  participle
• barraged
  simple

Future

• will barrage
  simple
• will have barraged
  perfect
• will be barraging
  progressive
• will have been barraging
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of barrage

1855–60; < French: blocking, barring off, barrier, equivalent to barr ( er ) to bar ¹ + -age -age; artillery sense by ellipsis from French tir de barrage barrier fire

Explanation

A barrage is something that comes quickly and heavily — as an attack of bullets or artillery, or a fast spray of words. Sometimes in movies or news footage, the audience gets a glimpse from behind a mounted weapon and sees a heavy rain of bombs or bullets — called a barrage — going toward a target, sending as much POW! as possible to hit a wide area. Words become a barrage when spoken or written in uncontrollable anger or with overflowing emotion: "Her human-rights speech was a barrage of passion. It was hard to keep up with, but we felt the intensity of her cause."

Example Sentences

Pratt’s campaign had become a social media hit over the prior month, fueled by a simple message, a barrage of A.I. slop videos, and Elon Musk’s X algorithm.

From Slate • Jun. 3, 2026

Among the weapons Russia used during the barrage was its Oreshnik hypersonic missile, which can travel 10 times the speed of sound and is capable of carrying nuclear warheads, according to Moscow.

From Barron's • May 25, 2026

But during cross-examination of Altman on Tuesday, Musk’s lawyer, Steven Molo, opened with a brutal barrage of questions about his character: “Are you completely trustworthy?” he asked.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 16, 2026

Altman remained calm under the barrage, even as Molo pressed him on the testimony of other witnesses who had described him as a liar.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 16, 2026

The canoe, and us clinging on with every ounce of strength, spun in the barrage of churning water.

From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda

Related Words

• assault
• attack
• blast
• bombardment
• burst
• deluge
• hail
• onslaught
• rain
• shower
• storm
• stream
• surge
• torrent