atom-bomb

[ at-uhm-bom ]

verb (used with object)

1. to bomb (a target) with an atomic bomb.

verb (used without object)

1. to atom-bomb a target.

Word History and Origins

Origin of atom-bomb¹

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

"The amount of heat we have put in the world's oceans in the past 25 years equals to 3.6 billion Hiroshima atom-bomb explosions," said Cheng Lijing, the study's lead author in a statement.

From Fox News

A story of Cambridge spies, atom-bomb secrets and a passionate affair between a demure Brit and a dashing Commie should steam up the screen and pop your popcorn.

From New York Times

Some of the first non-natural elements were discovered in radioactive debris from the fallout of atom-bomb tests; others were made in particle accelerators.

From Nature

This is an absorbing character study of Moe Berg, a one-time Boston Red Sox catcher who was sent by the U.S. government to assassinate a top German scientist working on Hitler’s secret atom-bomb project.

From Seattle Times

The viewer is confronted with scenes of slaves in chains, packed together below deck; a polar bear shot to death; a whale sliced open for blubber, bleeding; icecaps melting; seaborne atom-bomb tests.

From Economist

Related Words

• atomic bomb
• hydrogen bomb
• neutron bomb
• nuclear warhead