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bomb
[ bom ]
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 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.
- Meteorology. a weather bomb.
- 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 catastrophic 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,
- 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 f-bombs.
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.
- Computers. (of a computer program or system) to fail catastrophically.
- 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.
bomb
/ bɒm /
noun
- a hollow projectile containing an explosive, incendiary, or other destructive substance, esp one carried by aircraft
- ( as modifier )
a bomb bay
bomb disposal
- ( in combination )
a bombload
bombproof
- any container filled with explosive
a letter bomb
a car bomb
- the bombthe bomb
- a hydrogen or atomic bomb considered as the ultimate destructive weapon
- something excellent
it'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 body
a cobalt bomb
- slang.a large sum of money (esp in the phrase make a bomb )
- slang.a disastrous failure
the new play was a total bomb
- slang.an old or dilapidated motorcar
- American football a very long high pass
- See up-and-under(in rugby union) another term for up-and-under
- like a bomb informal.like a bomb with great speed or success; very well (esp in the phrase go like a bomb )
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Other Words From
- bomb·a·ble adjective
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Word History and Origins
Origin of bomb1
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Word History and Origins
Origin of bomb1
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Idioms and Phrases
see time bomb .Discover More
Example Sentences
Its macros are pretty well-balanced, so it feels less like a sugar or protein bomb and more like a meal.
The solution is that someone has to drop a clarity bomb so that you can reset and get around this downward spiral of weirdness.
While in the service, Bechtol handled 1,000-pound precision-guided bombs.
People feared that if the Soviets could shoot probes around the Earth and Moon, they could easily drop a nuclear bomb onto Washington or Los Angeles.
The FLQ, which had carried out a string of bombings, executed its most notorious attack the next year, detonating a bomb at the Montreal Stock Exchange that injured dozens.
Policemen on the show joke about prison riots, bomb threats, and the shooting of unarmed civilians.
But I think Steve Austin has to team up with a Japanese holdout to stop a nuclear bomb from going off or something.
In the middle of all of that past suffering and present-day conflict, this Cosby bomb was dropped.
Even a relatively small 250-pound bomb could kill or injure friendly troops who are within 650 feet of the explosion.
The reason pilots would choose to use guns over a bomb or a missile is simple.
More like bomb-shells, military mines, torpedoes, and nitroglycerine trains.
The trench mortars—bomb guns they call them—will be ready in Japan in two and a half months' time.
That boy shows old Rachels blood, soliloquized the mistress of Wavertree Hall; he would not run if there were a bomb under him!
Villeroi's reply was to commence the bombardment at once, and forthwith bomb-shells and red-hot shot came pouring on the town.
For instance, the Master Cook has a party of bomb-throwers formed from among the cooks.
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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.
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