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hydrogen bomb

[ hahy-druh-juhn bom ]
/ ˈhaɪ drə dʒən ˌbɒm /
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noun
a bomb, more powerful than an atomic bomb, that derives its explosive energy from the thermonuclear fusion reaction of hydrogen isotopes.

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QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
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In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
Also H-bomb [eych-bom] /ˈeɪtʃˌbɒm/ .
Also called fu·sion bomb [fyoo-zhuhn bom], /ˈfyu ʒən ˌbɒm/, ther·mo·nu·cle·ar bomb [thur-moh-noo-klee-er bom] /ˌθɜr moʊˈnu kli ər ˌbɒm/ .
Compare atomic bomb.

Origin of hydrogen bomb

First recorded in 1945–50
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hydrogen bomb in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for hydrogen bomb

hydrogen bomb

noun
a type of bomb in which energy is released by fusion of hydrogen nuclei to give helium nuclei. The energy required to initiate the fusion is provided by the detonation of an atomic bomb, which is surrounded by a hydrogen-containing substance such as lithium deuterideAlso called: H-bomb See also fusion 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

Scientific definitions for hydrogen bomb

hydrogen bomb

An extremely destructive bomb whose explosive power is derived from the energy released when hydrogen atoms are fused to form helium. This atomic fusion reaction is the same reaction that takes place in stars like the Sun, where the pressure of gravity forces hydrogen atoms to fuse; a hydrogen bomb uses the force of an atomic explosion (the fission reaction exploited in atomic bombs) to compress the hydrogen to the point where fusion takes place. Hydrogen bombs are many times more powerful than atomic bombs.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for hydrogen bomb

hydrogen bomb

A nuclear weapon with enormous explosive power, fueled by nuclear fusion, in which atoms of hydrogen combine to form atoms of helium.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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