bomb
Americannoun
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bombs
plural
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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.
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any similar missile or explosive device used as a weapon, to disperse crowds, etc..
a time bomb;
a smoke bomb.
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Also called volcanic bomb. Geology. a rough spherical or ellipsoidal mass of lava, ejected from a volcano and hardened while falling.
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Meteorology. a weather bomb.
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Football. a long forward pass, especially one to a teammate who scores a touchdown.
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Slang. an absolute failure; fiasco.
The play was a bomb and closed after two performances.
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Computers. a catastrophic program failure or system failure.
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Slang. the bomb, something or someone that is excellent or very impressive.
Her boyfriend is the bomb!
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Chiefly British Slang. an overwhelming success.
The novel is selling like a bomb.
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Jazz. a sudden, unexpected accent or rhythmic figure played by a drummer during a performance.
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a lead or lead-lined container for transporting and storing radioactive materials.
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the bomb,
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nuclear weapons collectively.
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Slang. a powerful automobile or other vehicle.
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Slang. something unpleasant that is unexpected or shocking (often used in combination with the first letter of an offensive or unmentionable word, as in ).
He's always dropping f-bombs.
Then came the bomb about the staff cuts.
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Slang. something unauthorized or illegal that is executed in a stealthy manner, typically having an overwhelming or sensational effect (used in combination, as in ).
verb (used with object)
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bombs,
present (3rd person singular)
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bombed,
past participle, past
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bombing
present participle
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to hurl bombs at or drop bombs upon, as from an airplane; bombard.
The enemy planes bombed the city.
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to explode by means of a bomb or explosive.
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to damage, ruin, defeat, etc., as if with bombs.
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Computers. to deliberately cause (a computer system) to fail with a program written for the purpose.
verb (used without object)
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bombs,
present (3rd person singular)
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bombed,
past participle, past
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bombing
present participle
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to hurl or drop bombs.
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to explode a bomb or bombs.
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Slang. to be or make a complete failure, especially to fail to please or gain an audience (sometimes followed byout ).
His last play bombed on Broadway.
The business bombed out with a $25,000 debt.
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Computers. (of a computer program or system) to fail catastrophically.
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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.
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Informal. to move very quickly.
They came bombing through here on their motorcycles at 2 a.m.
noun
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a hollow projectile containing an explosive, incendiary, or other destructive substance, esp one carried by aircraft
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( as modifier )
bomb disposal
a bomb bay
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( in combination )
a bombload
bombproof
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any container filled with explosive
a car bomb
a letter bomb
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a hydrogen or atomic bomb considered as the ultimate destructive weapon
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slang something excellent
it's the bomb
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a round or pear-shaped mass of volcanic rock, solidified from molten lava that has been thrown into the air
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med a container for radioactive material, applied therapeutically to any part of the body
a cobalt bomb
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slang a large sum of money (esp in the phrase make a bomb )
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slang a disastrous failure
the new play was a total bomb
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slang an old or dilapidated motorcar
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American football a very long high pass
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(in rugby union) another term for up-and-under
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informal with great speed or success; very well (esp in the phrase go like a bomb )
verb
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to attack with or as if with a bomb or bombs; drop bombs (on)
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informal (intr; often foll by off, along, etc) to move or drive very quickly
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slang (intr) to fail disastrously; be a flop See also bomb out
the new play bombed
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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bombsimple
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bombssimple
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have bombedperfect
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has bombedperfect
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am bombingprogressive
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are bombingprogressive
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is bombingprogressive
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have been bombingperfect progressive
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has been bombingperfect progressive
Past
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bombedsimple
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had bombedperfect
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was bombingprogressive
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were bombingprogressive
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had been bombingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
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
Vocabulary lists containing bomb
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
A Wizz Air flight travelling from London Luton Airport to Sofia has been escorted by a Hungarian fighter jet to Budapest after a mid-air bomb threat.
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026
No-one with a spiral bomb like she produced in the 2025 Rugby World Cup final is going to fade into the shadows.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
But he is staying despite the fact that the facade of his building was ripped open by a guided aerial bomb.
From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026
Laura Miller explains why Taika Waititi’s adaptation is shaping up to be a legendary box-office bomb.
From Slate ● Oct. 28, 2026
On June 23, 1944, the 125th’s commander, Valentin Markov, led a formation of Pe-2s, including Klava and Galya’s plane, to bomb German positions in Belorussia.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
USVs several metres long and capable of carrying bombs churned up the marina's still waters as they showed off their speed and agility, while UUVs, designed to inspect the seabed hovered below the surface.
From Barron's ● Nov. 3, 2026
As Hedda Gabler warned, bored women are time bombs whose agitation puts everyone at risk.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
Junior transport minister, Kier Mather said removing the masts had reduced the risk of them toppling on to and detonating the bombs.
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026
After Nazi bombs destroyed the stairwell in the Shulevitzes’ apartment building in Warsaw, the only way to reach the ground floor was by crossing boards placed across collapsed parts of the staircase.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
And they had rockets—as Yuri Gagarin’s flight showed the world—to deliver these bombs to any spot on the globe.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
In 2006, she memorably performed as a kids’ birthday party entertainer—and bombed.
From Slate ● Oct. 2, 2026
She thinks she’s bombed, but Dan, who has “magic ears,” hears what the song could be.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
At the bombed Kyiv printing press Viktoria Haidai told me protecting the industry was vital to preserving Ukrainian literature.
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
It’s like bringing back old Coke after new Coke bombed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
And Japan, the only country to have been bombed with atomic weapons, has a particularly complicated relationship with radiation.
From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland
He has spoken of turning military achievements into diplomatic ones, a nod to negotiated solutions, and has described Netanyahu’s goal of regime change in Iran during the U.S.-Israeli bombing campaign as too ambitious.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
Incredibly, the family survived tragedy during the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026
Forty-nine aircraft were available for water bombing and cloud seeding to make rain, although many have been grounded intermittently due to the haze.
From Barron's ● Oct. 20, 2026
A major American bombing raid struck Vemork on November 16, 1943, contributing to the eventual end of heavy water production there.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026
The Pentagon, meanwhile, publicly denied that the United States was bombing Cambodia.
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
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