bombardment

American  

[bom-bahrd-muhnt] / bɒmˈbɑrd mənt /

noun

1. a continuous or sustained attack, as with bombs or artillery fire.

   The rebel attacks were followed by government counterattacks that included airstrikes and artillery bombardment.

   The moon’s surface bears the scars of countless impact craters caused by the asteroid bombardment it has suffered over the eons.

2. an overwhelming quantity or barrage of something.

   We are all fed up with the incessant preelection bombardment of campaign mailers.

   Entering the stadium, you are immediately hit with a sensory bombardment: the buzz and crackle of massive television monitors, the smell of over-priced hotdogs and nachos.

3. Physics. the act or action of directing particles or radiation against something, such as a nucleus.

   In a conventional cathode-ray tube, the inside coating of the faceplate emits light in response to electron bombardment.

   Neutron bombardment of the uranium in the fuel converts some of it to plutonium, which is fissionable.

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Etymology

Origin of bombardment

bombard ( def. ) + -ment ( def. )

Explanation

When a lot of bombs fall on a city or area, it is a bombardment. But a bombardment can also mean a pummeling with lots of other things: questions, spit balls, or e-mails. During the early stages of a war, the capital city of the country under attack may suffer a severe bombardment meant to bring on a quick surrender. If there are many casualties or the citizens of the country are treated brutally by the occupying force, military officials may find themselves under a bombardment of questions and accusations about how the war was handled.

Example Sentences

He completed 14 combat missions before being assigned to the 885th Heavy Special Bombardment Squadron, which he later discovered was a front for the OSS.

From Washington Post • Mar. 8, 2022

The 447th Bombardment Group, a Black bomber unit, is also included under the Tuskegee Airmen umbrella, along with the instructors, mechanics, and ground crew at the Tuskegee Institute's training facilities between 1941 and 1946.

From Salon • Feb. 26, 2022

Fractional Orbital Bombardment would also be a way for China to avoid U.S. missile defenses in Alaska, which are designed to combat a limited number of weapons from a country like North Korea.

From Reuters • Oct. 27, 2021

HMS Belfast was the flagship of Bombardment Force E, supporting troops landing at Gold and Juno beaches by attacking German defences.

From BBC • Jun. 4, 2019

The Bombardment Of Antwerp There was something typically British in the way those Englishmen went about the defense of Antwerp.

From The Log of a Noncombatant by Green, Horace

Related Words

• assault
• attack
• blitz
• bombing
• onslaught
• shelling