bombshell
Americannoun
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a bomb.
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something or someone having a sudden and sensational effect.
The news of his resignation was a bombshell.
noun
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(esp formerly) a bomb or artillery shell
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a shocking or unwelcome surprise
the news of his death was a bombshell
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informal an attractive girl or woman (esp in the phrase blonde bombshell )
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of bombshell
1700–10; 1925–30 bombshell for def. 2; bomb + shell
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.
He has faced some fierce detractors within Zanu-PF, but his main critic - Blessed Geza, also known as "Bombshell" - died last week.
From BBC • Feb. 10, 2026
World War II veterans “are dying out very quickly,” said Bonnie Navarro, founder of the Bombshell Betty’s nonprofit, which organized the event.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 28, 2021
Last year he played Rupert Murdoch in the #MeToo drama Bombshell.
From The Guardian • Jul. 17, 2020
And yet, the subject/nature of his case — which helped establish the #MeToo movement — is also front and center in the Oscar-nominated film, "Bombshell,"
From Salon • Feb. 4, 2020
Bombshell number two, and a worse one than the first.
From The Pothunters by Wodehouse, P. G. (Pelham Grenville)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
