bombardment

[ bom-bahrd-muhnt ]

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of bombardment¹

bombard ( def ) + -ment ( def )

Example Sentences

What the people of Mosul now fear most is aerial bombardment of their own city.

From The Daily Beast

PKK sources say they suffered no casualties—they insist there was also an artillery bombardment on their bases.

From The Daily Beast

It was a terrifying bombardment of rocks, palm trunks and flaming naphtha.

From The Daily Beast

They fled the town of Al Atatra near the Erez crossing to Israel on July 17 as Israeli bombardment intensified.

From The Daily Beast

If they survive, children living under missile bombardment get a very early education in how historical memory works.

From The Daily Beast

Our gunners had put more than they could afford into the bombardment and had very little wherewith to pave the way.

From Project Gutenberg

“I shall renew the bombardment, and put every one of you to death in a few days,” threatened the Brahmin.

From Project Gutenberg

Cannonade between forts George and Niagara, and bombardment from all the batteries.

From Project Gutenberg

The American commanders confined the bombardment to the forts and trenches situated to the south of the city.

From Project Gutenberg

Later on he notified the consular body that the bombardment would commence on the 12th of the month.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

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