# bomb

Pronunciation: say "BOM" US /bɑm/, UK /bɒm/, AUS /bɔm/

## Noun

1. A device or charge of explosive material built or set to explode, used as a weapon or for demolition.
   - Simple: A thing filled with explosive that is made to blow up, often used as a weapon.
   - _Engineers carefully defused the bomb before it could detonate._
   - _Warplanes dropped bombs along the entire coastline._
3. Nuclear weapons as a class, or the atomic bomb itself, usually spoken of as "the bomb".
   - Simple: A nuclear weapon powerful enough to destroy a whole city.
   - _Many scientists who built the bomb later regretted their work._
   - _Cold War leaders lived under the constant shadow of the bomb._
10. A commercial failure; a product or production that flops and finds no audience. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A movie, show, or product that fails and that few people like.
   - _The studio's summer release turned out to be an expensive bomb._
   - _After three bombs in a row, the label dropped the band._
6. An obscene word referred to by its initial letter, as in the F-bomb.
   - Simple: A swear word referred to by its first letter, used in phrases like 'F-bomb'.
   - _The coach got a warning after dropping an F-bomb during the TV interview._
   - _Parents complained when the comedian kept dropping F-bombs all night._
7. An action or statement that provokes a strong, often dramatic reaction from those who witness it.
   - Simple: Something you do or say that causes a big, strong reaction.
   - _The coach dropped a bomb on the team when he announced he was leaving._
   - _My brother dropped a real bomb when he told us he had quit college._
8. An event or condition that produces rapid, destructive effects.
   - Simple: Something that quickly causes great harm or damage.
   - _Economists warned that the hidden debts were a bomb waiting to go off in the housing market._
   - _Critics said the new tariffs had planted a bomb under the country's car industry._
9. Anything at risk of exploding, or anything that has exploded. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Something that might blow up, or that already has blown up.
   - _The neglected furnace had become a bomb that threatened the whole building._
   - _Inspectors flagged the corroded gas cylinder as a potential bomb._
12. A bag or balloon filled with water, flour, or paint, made to burst and splatter on impact.
   - Simple: A balloon or bag filled with water, paint, or flour that bursts when thrown.
   - _On the last day of school, someone hit me with a paint bomb._
   - _Each team prepared dozens of paint-filled bombs for the festival._
13. A rapidly deepening extratropical cyclone whose central pressure falls at least 24 millibars in 24 hours, a threshold set at 60° latitude and scaled for other latitudes.
   - Simple: A storm that grows very strong very fast as its center pressure drops quickly.
   - _Meteorologists classified the storm as a bomb after its pressure plunged overnight._
   - _A bomb off the Atlantic coast brought hurricane-force gusts to the shore._
14. In sports, a very long pass, a shot from far out, or a long hit such as a home run. *(slang)*
   - Simple: In sports, a very long throw, shot, or hit, like a deep pass or a home run.
   - _He launched a bomb that the receiver caught for a touchdown._
   - _With seconds left, the offense gambled on a deep bomb._
15. A jump into water performed with arms and legs tucked toward the body, in a squatting shape, to create the biggest possible splash. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A jump into water with your arms and legs tucked in to make a big splash.
   - _His bomb sent a wave of water right over the side of the pool._
   - _He ran off the diving board and did a huge bomb that soaked us all._
19. A great success; something regarded as the best of its kind. *(slang)*
   - Simple: Something that is a big success and that people really love.
   - _Critics agree the band's latest tour is the bomb._
   - _Ask any local and they'll tell you that bakery is the bomb._
20. A very large sum of money. *(slang, Australia, UK)*
   - Simple: A very large amount of money.
   - _Renovating the kitchen cost them a bomb._
   - _He spent a bomb on tickets for the final._
22. A car in poor, run-down condition. *(colloquial, Australia, US)*
   - Simple: A car that is old, broken down, or runs badly.
   - _The mechanic laughed when he saw the bomb she'd been driving for years._
   - _That old bomb finally died on the freeway last week._
23. A woman regarded as exceptionally attractive. *(slang, British, India)*
   - Simple: A woman who is seen as very attractive.
   - _Back in her modeling days she was considered a real bomb._
   - _His new girlfriend is a total bomb, the lads keep telling him._
25. Either of a woman's breasts. *(slang)*
   - Simple: One of a woman's breasts.
   - _The guys in the movie kept making crude comments about the actress's bombs._
   - _He stared so openly at her bombs that she crossed her arms._
26. A quantity of a recreational drug that is ground up, wrapped in paper, and swallowed whole. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A dose of a drug that is crushed, wrapped in paper, and swallowed.
   - _They each took a bomb before the gig started._
   - _Wrapping it as a bomb let him swallow the dose quickly._

## Verb

2. To strike a place or target with bombs; to bombard.
   - Simple: To attack a place by dropping or setting off bombs.
   - _Allied forces bomb strategic factories before any ground assault._
   - _The squadron bombed relentlessly throughout the long campaign._
4. To fail completely and badly. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To fail badly, especially in front of other people.
   - _The new comedy bombed within its first weekend._
   - _Stand-up comedians sometimes bomb in front of tough crowds._
11. To bombard or harass someone, as with a barrage of messages or complaints.
   - Simple: To attack or bother someone with a lot of things all at once.
   - _Fans bomb the director with angry messages whenever a sequel is delayed._
   - _Angry customers bombed the company's pages with complaints._
16. To leap into water in a squatting position, arms wrapped around the legs, to produce the largest possible splash. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: To jump into water with your arms and legs pulled in tight to make a big splash.
   - _They dared each other to bomb off the high board._
   - _He bombed into the river, drenching everyone on the bank._
17. To move or travel at high speed. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: To move along very fast.
   - _We bomb down the open road whenever traffic clears._
   - _She bombed across town to make the meeting on time._
18. Of a computer, program, or system, to fail suddenly and stop functioning. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To stop working suddenly, the way a computer or program does when it fails.
   - _The server will bomb if the memory runs out during processing._
   - _The whole system bombed and we lost an hour of work._
21. To cover an area, wall, or surface with a large number of graffiti tags. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To cover a wall or area with lots of spray-painted graffiti tags.
   - _Taggers like to bomb old bridges so thickly that you can't see the concrete._
   - _Writers had bombed the alley so thoroughly that no brick was left bare._
24. To drink enough alcohol to make oneself drunk. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To drink so much alcohol that you get very drunk.
   - _By midnight, half the wedding guests were completely bombed._
   - _After three bottles of wine, they were bombed and singing loudly._

## Adjective

5. Excellent; impressively good. *(slang)*
   - Simple: Very good, exciting, or really enjoyable.
   - _The party last night was totally bomb._
   - _Everyone agreed the food at the new place was bomb._

## Other meanings

- (noun) A high kick that sends the ball nearly straight up, letting teammates get beneath it before it lands.
- (noun) A heavy-walled container built to contain chemical reactions carried out under high pressure.
- (noun) An explosive projectile thrown by hand or fired from a mortar or big gun, such as a grenade or shell.
- (noun) A small warship fitted with heavy mortars for firing explosive shells at targets on shore.
- (noun) A release of gas from the bowels.
- (noun) A marijuana cigarette that is especially strong.
- (noun) A deep, resounding noise, like the boom of something hollow being struck.
- (noun) A wrestling move in which the attacker hoists an opponent up and drives them down onto their back.
- (verb) To dose a neglected swimming pool with a very large amount of chlorine to clean it.
- (verb) To leave a toilet foul and smelly after using it.
- (verb) To produce a boom, hum or buzz.
- (verb) To wrap a dose of an illegal drug in paper or similar material so it can be swallowed whole.

## Origin

The word imitates a sound. Ancient Greek bómbos ("booming, humming, buzzing") became Latin bombus ("a booming sound"), then Italian bomba and French bombe, which English borrowed. Compare boom.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/bomb (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).