Advertisement

View synonyms for bomb

bomb

[ bom ]

noun

  1. 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.
  2. any similar missile or explosive device used as a weapon, to disperse crowds, etc.:

    a time bomb;

    a smoke bomb.

  3. Also called vol·can·ic bomb [vol-, kan, -ik , bom]. Geology. a rough spherical or ellipsoidal mass of lava, ejected from a volcano and hardened while falling.
  4. Meteorology. a weather bomb.
  5. Football. a long forward pass, especially one to a teammate who scores a touchdown.
  6. Slang. an absolute failure; fiasco:

    The play was a bomb and closed after two performances.

    Synonyms: washout, bust, dud, flop

  7. Computers. a catastrophic program failure or system failure.
  8. the bomb, Slang. something or someone that is excellent or very impressive:

    Her boyfriend is the bomb!

  9. Chiefly British Slang. an overwhelming success:

    The novel is selling like a bomb.

  10. Jazz. a sudden, unexpected accent or rhythmic figure played by a drummer during a performance.
  11. a lead or lead-lined container for transporting and storing radioactive materials.
  12. the bomb,
    1. nuclear weapons collectively.
  13. Slang. a powerful automobile or other vehicle.
  14. 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 f-bombs.

    Then came the bomb about the staff cuts.

    Synonyms: shocker, surprise, kicker, bombshell

  15. 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)

  1. to hurl bombs at or drop bombs upon, as from an airplane; bombard:

    The enemy planes bombed the city.

  2. to explode by means of a bomb or explosive.
  3. to damage, ruin, defeat, etc., as if with bombs.
  4. Computers. to deliberately cause (a computer system) to fail with a program written for the purpose.

verb (used without object)

  1. to hurl or drop bombs.
  2. to explode a bomb or bombs.
  3. 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.

    Synonyms: flop, fail

  4. Computers. (of a computer program or system) to fail catastrophically.
  5. 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.

  6. Informal. to move very quickly:

    They came bombing through here on their motorcycles at 2 a.m.

bomb

/ bɒm /

noun

    1. a hollow projectile containing an explosive, incendiary, or other destructive substance, esp one carried by aircraft
    2. ( as modifier )

      bomb disposal

      a bomb bay

    3. ( in combination )

      a bombload

      bombproof

  1. any container filled with explosive

    a car bomb

    a letter bomb

  2. the bomb
    1. a hydrogen or atomic bomb considered as the ultimate destructive weapon
    2. something excellent

      it's the bomb

  3. a round or pear-shaped mass of volcanic rock, solidified from molten lava that has been thrown into the air
  4. med a container for radioactive material, applied therapeutically to any part of the body

    a cobalt bomb

  5. slang.
    a large sum of money (esp in the phrase make a bomb )
  6. slang.
    a disastrous failure

    the new play was a total bomb

  7. slang.
    an old or dilapidated motorcar
  8. American football a very long high pass
  9. (in rugby union) another term for up-and-under
  10. like a bomb informal.
    with great speed or success; very well (esp in the phrase go like a bomb )
“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

verb

  1. to attack with or as if with a bomb or bombs; drop bombs (on)
  2. informal.
    intr; often foll by off, along, etc to move or drive very quickly
  3. slang.
    intr to fail disastrously; be a flop See also bomb out

    the new play bombed

“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
Discover More

Other Words From

  • bomb·a·ble adjective
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of bomb1

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of bomb1

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
Discover More

Idioms and Phrases

see time bomb .
Discover More

Example Sentences

When the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, “Carousel” was doing boffo business on Broadway.

Before anyone had time to react, a second bomb went off.

There is no terrorist threat, no clock ticking until a bomb destroys half of London.

Civil Defence spokesman Mahmoud Bassal said a tented camp for displaced families was bombed and that the dead included five children.

From BBC

Suddenly, it occurs that the chosen scenes favor things that cannot themselves be touched — aerial flight high overhead, out of reach, or deadly radioactive space left by an exploded nuclear bomb.

Advertisement

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement