bomb

[ bom ]

/ bɒm /

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Bomb . . . has a lot of different meanings, depending on the context.

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noun

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.

any similar missile or explosive device used as a weapon, to disperse crowds, etc.: a time bomb; a smoke bomb.

Also called volcanic bomb. Geology. a rough spherical or ellipsoidal mass of lava, ejected from a volcano and hardened while falling.

Football. a long forward pass, especially one to a teammate who scores a touchdown.

Slang. an absolute failure; fiasco: The play was a bomb and closed after two performances.

Computers. a spectacular program failure or system failure.

the bomb, Slang. something or someone that is excellent or very impressive: Her boyfriend is the bomb!

Chiefly British Slang. an overwhelming success: The novel is selling like a bomb.

Jazz. a sudden, unexpected accent or rhythmic figure played by a drummer during a performance.

a lead or lead-lined container for transporting and storing radioactive materials.

the bomb,

atomic bomb.
nuclear weapons collectively.

Slang. a powerful automobile or other vehicle.

Slang. something unpleasant that is unexpected or shocking (often used in combination with the first letter of an offensive or unmentionable word, as in f-bomb; s-bomb; n-bomb): He's always dropping the f-bomb. Then came the bomb about the staff cuts.

Slang. something unauthorized or illegal that is executed in a stealthy manner, typically having an overwhelming or sensational effect (used in combination, as in mail bomb; graffiti bomb).

verb (used with object)

to hurl bombs at or drop bombs upon, as from an airplane; bombard: The enemy planes bombed the city.

to explode by means of a bomb or explosive.

to damage, ruin, defeat, etc., as if with bombs.

Computers. to deliberately cause (a computer system) to fail with a program written for the purpose.

verb (used without object)

to hurl or drop bombs.

to explode a bomb or bombs.

Slang. to be or make a complete failure, especially to fail to please or gain an audience (sometimes followed by out): His last play bombed on Broadway. The business bombed out with a $25,000 debt.

(of a computer program or system) to fail spectacularly.

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.

Informal. to move very quickly: They came bombing through here on their motorcycles at 2 a.m.

Nearby words

bolzano-weierstrass theorem, bolívar, bolívar, simón, boma, bomarc, bomb, bomb bay, bomb belt, bomb calorimeter, bomb ketch, bomb lance

Origin of bomb

1580–90; earlier bom(b)e < Spanish bomba (de fuego) “ball (of fire),” akin to bombo “drum” < Latin bombus “a booming sound” < Greek bómbos

Related forms

bomb·a·ble, adjective

Can be confused

balm bomb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for bomb

Policemen on the show joke about prison riots, bomb threats, and the shooting of unarmed civilians.
'Babylon' Review: The Dumb Lives of Trigger-Happy Cops|Melissa Leon|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Even a relatively small 250-pound bomb could kill or injure friendly troops who are within 650 feet of the explosion.
New U.S. Stealth Jet Can’t Fire Its Gun Until 2019|Dave Majumdar|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The reason pilots would choose to use guns over a bomb or a missile is simple.
New U.S. Stealth Jet Can’t Fire Its Gun Until 2019|Dave Majumdar|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
One day while Richards was campaigning, someone reported there was a bomb on her small plane.
My Love Letter to the Stetson|Mark McKinnon|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Now hackers are threatening to bomb any theater that shows it.
Six Must-Read Stories About the Sony Hacks, Congo’s Forgotten Colonial Getaway and Another Woman’s Story of U-VA|The Daily Beast|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Several men had been hit and half the butt of the Lewis gun blown off by a bomb.
The Fifth Battalion Highland Light Infantry in the War 1914-1918|F.L. Morrison
Had a bomb been exploded on the hearth at his feet the Colonel could not have been more astonished.
Colonel Carter's Christmas and The Romance of an Old-Fashioned Gentleman|F. Hopkinson Smith
Perhaps he saw the bomb thrown and heard the deafening report.
The Vultures|Henry Seton Merriman
When the explosion takes place, the ring contained in the bomb is sent flying into the air.
The Queer, the Quaint and the Quizzical|Frank H. Stauffer
If it can get above the dirigible the adroplane may bring about the dirigible's destruction by the successful launch of a bomb.
Aeroplanes and Dirigibles of War|Frederick A. Talbot

British Dictionary definitions for bomb

bomb

/ (bɒm) /

noun

a hollow projectile containing an explosive, incendiary, or other destructive substance, esp one carried by aircraft
(as modifier)bomb disposal; a bomb bay
(in combination)a bombload; bombproof

any container filled with explosivea car bomb; a letter bomb

the bomb

a hydrogen or atomic bomb considered as the ultimate destructive weapon
slang something excellentit's the bomb

a round or pear-shaped mass of volcanic rock, solidified from molten lava that has been thrown into the air

med a container for radioactive material, applied therapeutically to any part of the bodya cobalt bomb

British slang a large sum of money (esp in the phrase make a bomb)

US and Canadian slang a disastrous failurethe new play was a total bomb

Australian and NZ slang an old or dilapidated motorcar

American football a very long high pass

(in rugby union) another term for up-and-under

like a bomb British and NZ informal with great speed or success; very well (esp in the phrase go like a bomb)

verb

to attack with or as if with a bomb or bombs; drop bombs (on)

(intr; often foll by off, along, etc) informal to move or drive very quickly

(intr) slang to fail disastrously; be a flopthe new play bombed See also bomb out

Word Origin for bomb

C17: from French bombe, from Italian bomba, probably from Latin bombus a booming sound, from Greek bombos, of imitative origin; compare Old Norse bumba drum

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

Idioms and Phrases with bomb

bomb

see time bomb.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.