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bomb

[ bom ]

/ bɒm /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR bomb ON THESAURUS.COM

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] /vɒlˈkæn ɪk ˈbɒm/ .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,

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 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.

VIDEO FOR BOMB

WATCH NOW: Visual Bomb

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

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having or claiming to have the power of seeing objects or actions beyond the range of natural vision.

mild or merciful in disposition or character; lenient; compassionate.

favorite; cherished.

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Origin of bomb

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

SYNONYMS FOR bomb

7 flop, dud, bust, washout.

15 bombshell, shocker, kicker, surprise, bolt from the blue.

23 fail, flop.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR bomb ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM bomb

bomb·a·ble, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH bomb

balm, bomb

Words nearby bomb

Bolyai, Bolzano, Bolzano-Weierstrass theorem, Boma, Bomarc, bomb, bombacaceous, bombard, bombarde, bombardier, bombardier beetle

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for bomb

Taken together, it’s a deadly cocktail, a bomb that, unless it’s defused in time, could explode in our faces in the coming months and years.
Butterfly Effect: Pandemic Shrouds Terrorist Activities|Charu Kasturi|September 3, 2020|Ozy
It’s like going to war with knives when everyone else has bombs.
Can Italy’s Fashion Artisans Survive COVID?|Charu Kasturi|August 30, 2020|Ozy
It became clear that building a fission bomb would require generating a “chain reaction” — the fission process itself would need to release neutrons capable of inducing further fission.
How understanding nature made the atomic bomb inevitable|Tom Siegfried|August 6, 2020|Science News
Concerns that Germany might develop a nuclear bomb prompted Albert Einstein’s famous letter to President Franklin Roosevelt, sent in August 1939, that eventually led to the Manhattan Project.
How understanding nature made the atomic bomb inevitable|Tom Siegfried|August 6, 2020|Science News

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.

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