bombard

[ verb bom-bahrd, buhm-; noun bom-bahrd ]

/ verb bɒmˈbɑrd, bəm-; noun ˈbɒm bɑrd /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bombard ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to attack or batter with artillery fire.

to attack with bombs.

to assail vigorously: to bombard the speaker with questions.

Physics. to direct high energy particles or radiations against: to bombard a nucleus.

noun

the earliest kind of cannon, originally throwing stone balls.

Nautical. bomb ketch.

an English leather tankard of the 18th century and earlier, similar to but larger than a blackjack.

Obsolete. a leather jug.

Nearby words

bomb run, bomb shelter, bomb site, bomb squad, bombacaceous, bombard, bombarde, bombardier, bombardier beetle, bombardon, bombasine

Origin of bombard

1400–50; late Middle English (noun) < Medieval Latin bombarda stone-throwing engine (Latin bomb(us) booming noise (see bomb) + -arda -ard)

SYNONYMS FOR bombard

3 beset, harass, hound, besiege.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bombard ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

bom·bard·er, nounbom·bard·ment, nounun·bom·bard·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for bombard

Just Google “Patrick Wilson Girls backlash,” and wait for the hateful, Lena Dunham-bashing vitriol to bombard your screen.
Louis C.K. Apologizes to the ‘Fat Girls’|Amy Zimmerman|May 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Your most grating acquaintance could – and usually would – bombard you with reams of unoriginal drivel at the press of a key.
Unconsidered Trifles: Found Comedy in the Age of Social Media|Tom Doran|March 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Listen, suppose they got in, suppose they start to bombard Guantanamo?
JFK’s Secret White House Recordings Unveiled|Ted Widmer|September 25, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Until then it had been judged impracticable to bombard a place from the sea.
The Sailor's Word-Book|William Henry Smyth

The allied squadrons of aeroplanes came every night to bombard the station of Metz-Sablons.
Verdun Argonne-Metz 1914-1918|Anonymous
Radetzky has retreated with his troops into the citadel and begins to bombard the city!
The Son of Monte-Cristo, Volume I (of 2)|Alexandre Dumas pre
They sailed into the harbor of Volo, and threatened to bombard the town.
The Teacher|George Herbert Palmer
They can do us no hurt from the cliff yonder except they bring great guns from their ships to bombard us.
With Drake on the Spanish Main|Herbert Strang

British Dictionary definitions for bombard

bombard

verb (bɒmˈbɑːd) (tr)

to attack with concentrated artillery fire or bombs

to attack with vigour and persistencethe boxer bombarded his opponent with blows to the body

to attack verbally, esp with questionsthe journalists bombarded her with questions

physics to direct high-energy particles or photons against (atoms, nuclei, etc) esp to produce ions or nuclear transformations

noun (ˈbɒmbɑːd)

an ancient type of cannon that threw stone balls

Derived Forms

bombardment, noun

Word Origin for bombard

C15: from Old French bombarder to pelt, from bombarde stone-throwing cannon, probably from Latin bombus booming sound; see 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