Adjacent Words

Bomb definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

BOMB, [L. bombus.] A great noise.
1. A large shell of cast iron, round and hollow, with a vent to receive a fusee, which is made of wood. This being filled with gunpowder and the fusee driven into the vent, the fusee is set on fire and the bomb is thrown from a mortar, in such a direction as to fall into a fort, city or enemy's camp, when it bursts with great violence and often with terrible effect. The inventor of bombs is not known; they came into common use about the year 1634.
2. The stroke upon a bell.
BOMB, v.t. To attack with bombs; to bombard. [Not used.]
BOMB, v.i. To sound.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: an explosive device fused to explode under specific conditions
2: strong sealed vessel for measuring heat of combustion [syn: bomb calorimeter, bomb]
3: an event that fails badly or is totally ineffectual; "the first experiment was a real turkey"; "the meeting was a dud as far as new business was concerned" [syn: turkey, bomb, dud] v
1: throw bombs at or attack with bombs; "The Americans bombed Dresden" [syn: bombard, bomb]
2: fail to get a passing grade; "She studied hard but failed nevertheless"; "Did I fail the test?" [syn: fail, flunk, bomb, flush it] [ant: make it, pass]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: French bombe, from Italian bomba, probably from Latin bombus deep hollow sound, from Greek bombos, of imitative origin Date: 1684 1. a. an explosive device fused to detonate under specified conditions b. atomic bomb; also nuclear weapons in general — usually used with the 2. a vessel for compressed gases: as a. a pressure vessel for conducting chemical experiments b. a container for an aerosol (as an insecticide) ; spray can 3. a rounded mass of lava exploded from a volcano 4. a lead-lined container for radioactive material 5. failure, flop <the play was a bomb> 6. British a large sum of money 7. a. British a great success ; hit b. slang one that is striking or extraordinary — used with the <their new album is the bomb> 8. a. a long pass in football b. a very long shot (as in basketball) <shooting 3-point bombs>; also home run 9. something unexpected and unpleasant — often used with drop <dropped a bomb with her resignation> II. verb Date: 1688 transitive verb 1. to attack with or as if with bombs ; bombard 2. to defeat decisively 3. to hit (as a baseball or a golf shot) very hard intransitive verb 1. to fall flat ; fail 2. slang to move rapidly <bombed down the hill> • bombing noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 a a container with explosive, incendiary material, smoke, or gas etc., designed to explode on impact or by means of a time-mechanism or remote-control device. b an ordinary object fitted with an explosive device (letter-bomb). 2 (prec. by the) the atomic or hydrogen bomb considered as a weapon with supreme destructive power. 3 Brit. sl. a large sum of money (cost a bomb). 4 a mass of solidified lava thrown from a volcano. 5 US colloq. a bad failure (esp. a theatrical one). 6 sl. a drugged cigarette. 7 Med. = radium bomb. --v. 1 tr. attack with bombs; drop bombs on. 2 tr. (foll. by out) drive (a person etc.) out of a building or refuge by using bombs. 3 intr. throw or drop bombs. 4 intr. esp. US sl. fail badly. 5 intr. colloq. (usu. foll. by along, off) move or go very quickly. 6 tr. US sl. criticize fiercely. Phrases and idioms: bomb-bay a compartment in an aircraft used to hold bombs. bomb-disposal the defusing or removal and detonation of an unexploded bomb. bomb-sight a device in an aircraft for aiming bombs. bomb-site an area where buildings have been destroyed by bombs. go down a bomb colloq., often iron. be very well received. like a bomb Brit. colloq. 1 often iron. very successfully. 2 very fast. Etymology: F bombe f. It. bomba f. L bombus f. Gk bombos hum

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Bomb Bomb, n. [F. bombe bombshell, fr. L. bombus a humming or buzzing noise, Gr. ?.] 1. A great noise; a hollow sound. [Obs.] A pillar of iron . . . which if you had struck, would make . . . a great bomb in the chamber beneath. --Bacon. 2. (Mil.) A shell; esp. a spherical shell, like those fired from mortars. See Shell. 3. A bomb ketch. Bomb chest (Mil.), a chest filled with bombs, or only with gunpowder, placed under ground, to cause destruction by its explosion. Bomb ketch, Bomb vessel (Naut.), a small ketch or vessel, very strongly built, on which mortars are mounted to be used in naval bombardments; -- called also mortar vessel. Bomb lance, a lance or harpoon with an explosive head, used in whale fishing. Volcanic bomb, a mass of lava of a spherical or pear shape. ``I noticed volcanic bombs.'' --Darwin.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Bomb Bomb, v. i. [Cf. Boom.] To sound; to boom; to make a humming or buzzing sound. [Obs.] --B. Jonson.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Bomb Bomb, v. t. To bombard. [Obs.] --Prior.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(bombs, bombing, bombed) Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. A bomb is a device which explodes and damages or destroys a large area. Bombs went off at two London train stations... It's not known who planted the bomb... Most of the bombs fell in the south... There were two bomb explosions in the city overnight. N-COUNT 2. Nuclear weapons are sometimes referred to as the bomb. They are generally thought to have the bomb. N-SING: the N 3. When people bomb a place, they attack it with bombs. Airforce jets bombed the airport. VERB: V n • bombing (bombings) Aerial bombing of rebel positions is continuing... There has been a series of car bombings. N-VAR 4. see also petrol bomb, pipe bomb

Moby Thesaurus

A-bomb, Grand Guignol, H-bomb, Passion play, Tom show, aerial bomb, antimasque, antipersonnel bomb, astonishment, atom-bomb, atomic bomb, audience success, ballet, batter, be a gas, be a hit, bill, blast, blitz, blockbuster, blow, blow to pieces, blow up, bombard, bombshell, broadcast drama, burlesque show, bust, cannonade, carcass, catch, charade, cliff hanger, closet drama, comedy drama, concussion grenade, crap out, critical success, daytime serial, depth bomb, depth charge, dialogue, dive-bomb, documentary drama, drama, dramalogue, dramatic play, dramatic series, dramatize, draw a blank, drop a bomb, drop the ball, dud, dull thud, duodrama, duologue, earthshaker, epic theater, experimental theater, explosive, extravaganza, eye-opener, fail, failure, fall flat, fan, feature, fire bomb, fireball, fizzle, flat failure, flop, floperoo, flummox, fold, fold up, frost, fusion bomb, gas grenade, gasser, get left, giveaway, glide-bomb, grenade, hand grenade, happening, headline, hit, hit show, hydrobomb, hydrogen bomb, improvisational drama, incendiary, incendiary bomb, incendiary grenade, infernal machine, joker, kicker, lay an egg, legitimate drama, lemon, lose out, loser, make a hit, masque, melodrama, melodramatize, mine, minstrel show, miracle, miracle play, monodrama, monologue, morality, morality play, mount, music drama, musical revue, mystery, mystery play, not hack it, not make it, open, open a show, opera, pageant, panel show, pantomime, pastoral, pastoral drama, peripeteia, petard, piece, pipe bomb, play, playlet, plutonium bomb, premiere, present, preview, problem play, produce, psychodrama, put on, quiz show, radio drama, razon bomb, revelation, review, revue, robot bomb, roc, rocket bomb, satchel charge, scenarize, sensational play, serial, set the stage, shell, shocker, show, sitcom, situation comedy, sketch, skip-bomb, skit, smoke bomb, soap, soap opera, sociodrama, spectacle, spring, stage, stage play, stage show, staggerer, star, startler, stench bomb, stink bomb, straight drama, strike out, succeed, success, surprisal, surprise, surprise ending, surprise package, surprise party, suspense drama, switch, tableau, tableau vivant, take the count, talk show, tear-gas bomb, tear-gas grenade, teleplay, television drama, television play, theater of cruelty, theatricalize, thermonuclear bomb, thunderbolt, thunderclap, time bomb, total loss, total theater, try out, turkey, variety show, vaudeville, vaudeville show, vehicle, wall grenade, washout, wear thin, whiff, word-of-mouth success, work