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bomb

[ bom ]

/ bɒm /

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See synonyms for: bomb / bombed / bombing / bombs 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.

OTHER WORDS 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

VIDEO FOR BOMB

Visual Bomb

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

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QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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

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, bombarded, bombardier

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bomb in a sentence

Its macros are pretty well-balanced, so it feels less like a sugar or protein bomb and more like a meal.
These Are Our Editors' Go-To Ski Lunches|Ula Chrobak|February 9, 2021|Outside Online
The solution is that someone has to drop a clarity bomb so that you can reset and get around this downward spiral of weirdness.
Is the Sex Solution Worse Than the Sex Problem?|Eugene Robinson|February 2, 2021|Ozy
While in the service, Bechtol handled 1,000-pound precision-guided bombs.
The Boogaloo Bois Have Guns, Criminal Records and Military Training. Now They Want to Overthrow the Government.|by A.C. Thompson, ProPublica, and Lila Hassan and Karim Hajj, FRONTLINE|February 1, 2021|ProPublica
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.
Lunik: Inside the CIA’s audacious plot to steal a Soviet satellite|Bobbie Johnson|January 28, 2021|MIT Technology Review

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.
James Cross, British diplomat kidnapped by Quebec separatists, dies at 99 of covid-19|Emily Langer|January 21, 2021|Washington Post
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
But I think Steve Austin has to team up with a Japanese holdout to stop a nuclear bomb from going off or something.
‘Archer’ Creator Adam Reed Spills Season 6 Secrets, From Surreal Plotlines to Life Post-ISIS|Marlow Stern|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In the middle of all of that past suffering and present-day conflict, this Cosby bomb was dropped.
Phylicia Rashad and the Cult of Cosby Truthers|Stereo Williams|January 8, 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
More like bomb-shells, military mines, torpedoes, and nitroglycerine trains.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
The trench mortars—bomb guns they call them—will be ready in Japan in two and a half months' time.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
That boy shows old Rachels blood, soliloquized the mistress of Wavertree Hall; he would not run if there were a bomb under him!
Those Dale Girls|Frank Weston Carruth
Villeroi's reply was to commence the bombardment at once, and forthwith bomb-shells and red-hot shot came pouring on the town.
Belgium|George W. T. (George William Thomson) Omond
For instance, the Master Cook has a party of bomb-throwers formed from among the cooks.
Letters of Lt.-Col. George Brenton Laurie|George Brenton Laurie

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

Other 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.