bombard

American  

[bom-bahrd, buhm-, bom-bahrd] / bɒmˈbɑrd, bəm-, ˈbɒm bɑrd /

verb (used with object)

1. to attack or batter with artillery fire.

2. to attack with bombs.

3. to assail vigorously.

   to bombard the speaker with questions.

   Synonyms:

   besiege, hound, harass, beset

4. Physics. to direct high energy particles or radiations against.

   to bombard a nucleus.

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noun

1. the earliest kind of cannon, originally throwing stone balls.

2. Nautical. bomb ketch.

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

4. Obsolete. a leather jug.

bombard British  

verb

1. to attack with concentrated artillery fire or bombs

2. to attack with vigour and persistence

   the boxer bombarded his opponent with blows to the body

3. to attack verbally, esp with questions

   the journalists bombarded her with questions

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

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noun

1. an ancient type of cannon that threw stone balls

Other Word Forms

• bombarder noun
• bombardment noun

Etymology

Origin of bombard

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English (noun), Medieval Latin bombarda “stone-throwing engine” ( Latin bomb(us) “booming noise” + -arda noun suffix); bomb, -ard

Example Sentences

Even though we were very isolated we were getting bombarded with: ‘Kendra is famous now!’

From Salon

Unlike Delta, which bombards premium travelers with what-to-expect emails ahead of their flight, JetBlue was notably silent about its Mint perks after I booked in mid-February.

From The Wall Street Journal

Please, let's get back to that, rather than being bombarded with the details of every decision.

From BBC

The U.S. has used its first one-way attack drones and Tehran has bombarded neighboring states with hundreds of UAVs.

From The Wall Street Journal

Undergraduates enter their freshman year bombarded with news about the difficulty of the job market and anxious coverage of AI’s expanding effects, threatening to derail their careers before they even begin.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• barrage
• batter
• besiege
• blast
• blitz
• bomb
• harass
• hound
• open fire
• pester
• strafe