hydrogen bomb

American  

[hahy-druh-juhn bom] / ˈhaɪ drə dʒən ˌbɒm /

Also H-bomb

noun

1. 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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hydrogen bomb British  

noun

1. Also called: H-bomb.  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 deuteride See also fusion bomb

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hydrogen bomb Scientific  

1. 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.

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hydrogen bomb Cultural  

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

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Etymology

Origin of hydrogen bomb

First recorded in 1945–50

Compare meaning

How does hydrogen-bomb compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• hydrogen bomb vs. atomic bomb

Example Sentences

Rabi at the 1954 hearing convened to consider stripping J. Robert Oppenheimer of his security clearance because of his opposition to developing the hydrogen bomb.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 6, 2026

Teller’s explanation was likely self-serving given his later acrimonious rift with Oppenheimer over the hydrogen bomb.

From Salon • Jul. 22, 2025

In the 1950s and 60s, servicemen witnessed dozens of atomic and hydrogen bomb tests and radioactive experiments in Australia and the South Pacific as part of the UK's nuclear programme.

From BBC • Jun. 25, 2025

Sakharov, who died in 1989, was a key figure in developing the Soviet Union’s hydrogen bomb program but later become renowned for his activism in promoting human rights and freedom of conscience.

From Washington Times • Aug. 18, 2023

The device was not a hydrogen bomb, exactly, but it was “the first thermonuclear test explosion on earth,” in the words of one witness, the young Berkeley physicist Herbert York.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik