bomb
Military. a projectile, formerly usually spherical, filled with a bursting charge and exploded by means of a fuze, by impact, or otherwise, now generally designed to be dropped from an aircraft.
any similar missile or explosive device used as a weapon, to disperse crowds, etc.: a time bomb;a smoke bomb.
Also called vol·can·ic bomb [vol-kan-ik bom] /vɒlˈkæn ɪk ˈbɒm/ .Geology. a rough spherical or ellipsoidal mass of lava, ejected from a volcano and hardened while falling.
Meteorology. a weather bomb.
Football. a long forward pass, especially one to a teammate who scores a touchdown.
Slang. an absolute failure; fiasco: The play was a bomb and closed after two performances.
Computers. a catastrophic program failure or system failure.
the bomb, Slang. something or someone that is excellent or very impressive: Her boyfriend is the bomb!
Chiefly British Slang. an overwhelming success: The novel is selling like a bomb.
Jazz. a sudden, unexpected accent or rhythmic figure played by a drummer during a performance.
a lead or lead-lined container for transporting and storing radioactive materials.
the bomb,
nuclear weapons collectively.
Slang. a powerful automobile or other vehicle.
Slang. something unpleasant that is unexpected or shocking (often used in combination with the first letter of an offensive or unmentionable word, as in f-bomb; s-bomb; n-bomb): He's always dropping f-bombs.Then came the bomb about the staff cuts.
Slang. something unauthorized or illegal that is executed in a stealthy manner, typically having an overwhelming or sensational effect (used in combination, as in mail bomb; graffiti bomb).
to hurl bombs at or drop bombs upon, as from an airplane; bombard: The enemy planes bombed the city.
to explode by means of a bomb or explosive.
to damage, ruin, defeat, etc., as if with bombs.
Computers. to deliberately cause (a computer system) to fail with a program written for the purpose.
to hurl or drop bombs.
to explode a bomb or bombs.
Slang. to be or make a complete failure, especially to fail to please or gain an audience (sometimes followed by out): His last play bombed on Broadway.The business bombed out with a $25,000 debt.
Computers. (of a computer program or system) to fail catastrophically.
Slang. to spray-paint graffiti over many surfaces in an area, working quickly and using simple forms and designs: He made his reputation bombing on the east side of town.
Informal. to move very quickly: They came bombing through here on their motorcycles at 2 a.m.
Origin of bomb
1Other words for bomb
Other words from bomb
- bomb·a·ble, adjective
Words that may be confused with bomb
- balm, bomb
Words Nearby bomb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use bomb in a sentence
Its macros are pretty well-balanced, so it feels less like a sugar or protein bomb and more like a meal.
The solution is that someone has to drop a clarity bomb so that you can reset and get around this downward spiral of weirdness.
While in the service, Bechtol handled 1,000-pound precision-guided bombs.
The Boogaloo Bois Have Guns, Criminal Records and Military Training. Now They Want to Overthrow the Government. | by A.C. Thompson, ProPublica, and Lila Hassan and Karim Hajj, FRONTLINE | February 1, 2021 | ProPublicaPeople feared that if the Soviets could shoot probes around the Earth and Moon, they could easily drop a nuclear bomb onto Washington or Los Angeles.
Lunik: Inside the CIA’s audacious plot to steal a Soviet satellite | Bobbie Johnson | January 28, 2021 | MIT Technology ReviewThe FLQ, which had carried out a string of bombings, executed its most notorious attack the next year, detonating a bomb at the Montreal Stock Exchange that injured dozens.
James Cross, British diplomat kidnapped by Quebec separatists, dies at 99 of covid-19 | Emily Langer | January 21, 2021 | Washington Post
Policemen on the show joke about prison riots, bomb threats, and the shooting of unarmed civilians.
'Babylon' Review: The Dumb Lives of Trigger-Happy Cops | Melissa Leon | January 9, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTBut I think Steve Austin has to team up with a Japanese holdout to stop a nuclear bomb from going off or something.
‘Archer’ Creator Adam Reed Spills Season 6 Secrets, From Surreal Plotlines to Life Post-ISIS | Marlow Stern | January 8, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTIn the middle of all of that past suffering and present-day conflict, this Cosby bomb was dropped.
Phylicia Rashad and the Cult of Cosby Truthers | Stereo Williams | January 8, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTEven a relatively small 250-pound bomb could kill or injure friendly troops who are within 650 feet of the explosion.
New U.S. Stealth Jet Can’t Fire Its Gun Until 2019 | Dave Majumdar | December 31, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe reason pilots would choose to use guns over a bomb or a missile is simple.
New U.S. Stealth Jet Can’t Fire Its Gun Until 2019 | Dave Majumdar | December 31, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTMore like bomb-shells, military mines, torpedoes, and nitroglycerine trains.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce | E. R. Billings.The trench mortars—bomb guns they call them—will be ready in Japan in two and a half months' time.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I | Ian HamiltonThat boy shows old Rachels blood, soliloquized the mistress of Wavertree Hall; he would not run if there were a bomb under him!
Those Dale Girls | Frank Weston CarruthVilleroi's reply was to commence the bombardment at once, and forthwith bomb-shells and red-hot shot came pouring on the town.
Belgium | George W. T. (George William Thomson) OmondFor instance, the Master Cook has a party of bomb-throwers formed from among the cooks.
Letters of Lt.-Col. George Brenton Laurie | George Brenton Laurie
British Dictionary definitions for bomb
/ (bɒm) /
a hollow projectile containing an explosive, incendiary, or other destructive substance, esp one carried by aircraft
(as modifier): bomb disposal; a bomb bay
(in combination): a bombload; bombproof
any container filled with explosive: a car bomb; a letter bomb
the bomb
a hydrogen or atomic bomb considered as the ultimate destructive weapon
slang something excellent: it's the bomb
a round or pear-shaped mass of volcanic rock, solidified from molten lava that has been thrown into the air
med a container for radioactive material, applied therapeutically to any part of the body: a cobalt bomb
British slang a large sum of money (esp in the phrase make a bomb)
US and Canadian slang a disastrous failure: the new play was a total bomb
Australian and NZ slang an old or dilapidated motorcar
American football a very long high pass
(in rugby union) another term for up-and-under
like a bomb British and NZ informal with great speed or success; very well (esp in the phrase go like a bomb)
to attack with or as if with a bomb or bombs; drop bombs (on)
(intr; often foll by off, along, etc) informal to move or drive very quickly
(intr) slang to fail disastrously; be a flop: the new play bombed See also bomb out
Origin of bomb
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with bomb
see time bomb.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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