bomb

SayBOM/bɑm/UK/bɒm//bɔm/

Pluralbombs

Verbbombs, bombing, bombed

38 meanings of bomb

Practice

1
nouncountable
A thing filled with explosive that is made to blow up, often used as a weapon.
Like a firework, but built to destroy instead of to entertain.
Soldiers found an unexploded bomb buried in the field.
The plane dropped its bombs over the harbor.
UsagePeople plant or drop bombs, and experts defuse them.
2
attack with explosivesverbtransitive or intransitive
To attack a place by dropping or setting off bombs.
Soldiers bomb the bridge to stop the enemy from advancing.
The jets bombed all night without stopping.
Similarbombard, blitz, attack
3
nuclear weaponnoun
A nuclear weapon powerful enough to destroy a whole city.
People feared the bomb would be used again after the war.
For decades, the bomb shaped how nations dealt with each other.
UsageSay a country has the bomb.
Note
4
fail badlyverbslangtransitive or intransitive
To fail badly, especially in front of other people.
Like a paper plane that drops to the floor the second you throw it.
His joke bombed at the family party.
I always bomb when I have to speak in public.
UsageSay the show bombed, or I bombed the exam.
Similarflop, fail, tank
Oppositesucceed
Note
5
awesomeadjectiveslang
Very good, exciting, or really enjoyable.
Those tacos were absolutely bomb.
She found a bomb little café downtown.
UsageSay it's bomb or totally bomb.
Similarawesome, amazing, great, excellent, fantastic
Oppositeterrible, awful, lousy
6
swear wordnouncountablein compounds
A swear word referred to by its first letter, used in phrases like 'F-bomb'.
He dropped an F-bomb in front of his grandmother.
The TV station had to bleep every F-bomb in the interview.
UsageSay someone dropped an F-bomb.
Similarexpletive, obscenity
Note
7
shocking newsnouncountablein compounds
Something you do or say that causes a big, strong reaction.
Like dropping a stone in calm water and watching the ripples spread fast.
She dropped a bomb at dinner when she said she was moving away.
Her surprise confession at the meeting was a bomb that left everyone speechless.
UsageSay drop a bomb when you tell shocking news.
Similarbombshell, sensation, shock
Note
8
nounfigurativelycountable
Something that quickly causes great harm or damage.
The scandal was a bomb that wrecked his career overnight.
Experts called the rising debt a bomb that could wreck the economy.
Similarbombshell, shock
Note
9
nouncolloquialfigurativelycountable
Something that might blow up, or that already has blown up.
That overheating boiler is a bomb if no one shuts it off.
Engineers warned that the cracked tank could become a bomb at any moment.

Less common meanings

10
failed productnounslangcountable
A movie, show, or product that fails and that few people like.
Like a cake that sinks in the middle: it just didn't work out.
The movie was a complete bomb at the theaters.
Critics quickly called the new phone a bomb.
UsageSay a movie was a bomb. But the bomb means great.
Similarflop, failure, turkey, dud
Oppositehit, success, blockbuster
Note
11
flood with messagesverbfigurativelytransitive or intransitive
To attack or bother someone with a lot of things all at once.
Students bomb the teacher with questions before every test.
Fans bombed the player with angry messages after the game.
UsageSay bomb someone with questions.
Similarbombard, flood, inundate, swamp
Note
12
water balloonnouncountablein compounds
A balloon or bag filled with water, paint, or flour that bursts when thrown.
She filled a balloon with paint to make a bomb for the prank.
The kids threw water bombs at each other in the yard.
UsageSay water bomb or paint bomb.
Similarballoon
Note
13
sudden stormnouncountable
A storm that grows very strong very fast as its center pressure drops quickly.
Like a small fire that suddenly blows up into a huge blaze in minutes.
Forecasters warned that a bomb was forming off the coast and would bring fierce winds.
The bomb deepened overnight, dumping heavy snow across the region.
Note
14
nounslangcountable
In sports, a very long throw, shot, or hit, like a deep pass or a home run.
Like throwing a ball as far as you can to a friend running ahead.
The quarterback threw a bomb into the end zone.
Their final play was a desperate bomb down the field.
Note
15
splash jumpnouncolloquialcountable
A jump into water with your arms and legs tucked in to make a big splash.
Like curling into a ball to splash as much water as you can.
He did a huge bomb off the diving board and soaked everyone nearby.
The kids took turns doing bombs into the deep end.
UsageSay do a bomb into the pool.
Similarcannonball
Note
16
jump to splashverbcolloquialintransitive
To jump into water with your arms and legs pulled in tight to make a big splash.
Like jumping in curled up like a ball so the water flies everywhere.
The boys love to bomb into the lake from the wooden jetty.
She bombed into the pool and splashed the sunbathers.
Similarcannonball
17
speed alongverbcolloquialintransitive
To move along very fast.
Like a ball rolling fast down a steep hill.
They bomb down the hill on their bikes every weekend.
The car bombed along the empty highway.
UsageSay bomb down the road.
Similarrace, speed, zoom, tear, hurtle
Oppositecrawl, dawdle
18
crash (computer)verbslangintransitive
To stop working suddenly, the way a computer or program does when it fails.
Like a car engine that suddenly dies and won't start again.
My laptop tends to bomb whenever I open too many tabs.
The app bombed right in the middle of my presentation.
Similarcrash, fail, freeze
Note
19
nounslang
Something that is a big success and that people really love.
Like the best toy in the whole shop.
Her new album is the bomb.
Everyone says that little restaurant is the bomb.
UsageSay it's the bomb for the best.
Note
20
lot of moneynounslangAustraliaUKcountable
A very large amount of money.
Like a wallet so full of cash it won't close.
That new phone must have cost a bomb.
She made a bomb selling her old paintings.
UsageSay something cost a bomb.
Similarfortune, packet
21
cover in graffitiverbslangtransitive
To cover a wall or area with lots of spray-painted graffiti tags.
Like covering a notebook with your name written over and over everywhere.
They snuck out at night to bomb the railway bridge with their crew's tags.
Graffiti artists bombed the whole wall with their tags overnight.
Similartag
Note
22
old carnouncolloquialAustraliaUScountable
A car that is old, broken down, or runs badly.
Like an old pair of shoes that are falling apart but you still wear them.
He drives an old bomb that barely makes it up hills.
Their first car was a rusty bomb with no working heater.
UsagePeople say an old bomb, sometimes kindly.
Similarlemon, rustbucket
23
beautiful womannounslangBritishIndiacountable
A woman who is seen as very attractive.
His friends all said his new girlfriend was a total bomb.
In that red dress, she looked like a real bomb.
UsageThis can sound rude. Attractive is a safer word.
Similarbombshell
24
get drunkverbslangreflexiveintransitive
To drink so much alcohol that you get very drunk.
They got bombed at the party and slept until noon.
He was too bombed to drive, so we took his keys.
Similarbooze, drink
Note
25
breastnounslangcountable
One of a woman's breasts.
He made a rude joke about her bombs, and she walked away.
The low top left little of her bombs to the imagination.
Similarboob, breast
26
drug dosenounslangcountable
A dose of a drug that is crushed, wrapped in paper, and swallowed.
Like taking medicine wrapped in a tissue so you don't taste it.
He swallowed a bomb at the festival and waited for it to kick in.
She wrapped the powder into a bomb to avoid the bitter taste.
Note
27
nounslang
A high kick that sends the ball almost straight up so players can run under it.
28
noun
A strong, thick-walled container used for chemical reactions under high pressure.
29
nounarchaic
An explosive thrown by hand or fired from a gun.
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air / Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there
1814, “The Star-Spangled Banner”, Francis Scott Key (lyrics)
30
nounarchaic
An old warship that fired explosive shells at the land.
31
noundialectalIndiaSouth
Gas let out from the bowels.
32
nounslang
A very strong marijuana cigarette.
33
nounobsolete
A loud, deep, echoing sound.
34
noun
A wrestling move that lifts someone and slams them onto their back.
35
verbcolloquial
To put a very large amount of chlorine into a badly kept pool.
36
verbslang
To make a toilet very smelly and dirty.
37
verbobsolete
To make a boom, a hum or a buzz.
What over-charged piece of melancholie / Is this, breakes in betweene my wishes thus, / With bombing sighs?
1625, Ben Jonson, The Fortunate Isles and Their Union
38
verbslang
To wrap drugs in paper so they can be swallowed.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of bomb apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

It came through French and Italian from Latin bombus, meaning a booming sound, which came from a Greek word for booming or buzzing that imitated the noise itself.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts

English bomb came through French and Italian from Latin bombus, meaning a booming sound. en.wiktionary.org
Latin bombus came from a Greek word meaning booming or buzzing. en.wikipedia.org
The Greek word imitated the noise itself. en.wiktionary.org