BOMB

bomb

(noun) an explosive device fused to explode under specific conditions

turkey, bomb, dud

(noun) 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”

bombard, bomb

(verb) throw bombs at or attack with bombs; “The Americans bombed Dresden”

fail, flunk, bomb, flush it

(verb) fail to get a passing grade; “She studied hard but failed nevertheless”; “Did I fail the test?”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

bomb (plural bombs)

An explosive device used or intended as a weapon.

(dated) The atomic bomb.

(figurative) Events or conditions that have a speedy destructive effect.

(colloquial) Any explosive charge.

(slang) A failure; an unpopular commercial product.

(US, Australia, informal) A car in poor condition.

Synonym: rustbucket

(UK, slang) A large amount of money.

Synonyms: fortune, packet, pretty penny

(social) Something highly effective or attractive.

(chiefly, British, slang) A success; the bomb.

(chiefly, British, India, slang) A very attractive woman.

Synonym: bombshell

(often, in combination) An action or statement that causes a strong reaction.

(American football, slang) A long forward pass.

(basketball, slang) A throw into the basket from a considerable distance.

A cyclone whose central pressure drops at an average rate of at least one millibar per hour for at least 24 hours.

(chemistry) A heavy-walled container designed to permit chemical reactions under high pressure.

(obsolete) A great booming noise; a hollow sound.

(slang) A woman’s breast.

(professional wrestling) A professional wrestling throw in which an opponent is lifted and then slammed back-first down to the mat.

(slang) A recreational drug ground up, wrapped, and swallowed.

(colloquial) An act of jumping into water while keeping one's arms and legs tucked into the body, as in a squatting position, to maximize splashing.

Synonym: cannonball

Usage notes

• The diametrical slang meanings are somewhat distinguishable by the article. For “a success”, the phrase is generally the bomb. Otherwise bomb can mean “a failure”.

Verb

bomb (third-person singular simple present bombs, present participle bombing, simple past and past participle bombed)

(transitive, intransitive) To attack using one or more bombs; to bombard.

(intransitive, slang) To fail dismally.

(informal) To jump into water in a squatting position, with the arms wrapped around the legs.

(obsolete) To sound; to boom; to make a humming or buzzing sound.

(slang) To cover an area in many graffiti tags.

(informal) To add an excessive amount of chlorine to a pool when it has not been maintained properly.

(slang, reflexive) To make oneself drunk.

(informal, especially with along, down, up etc.) To move at high speed.

Adjective

bomb (comparative more bomb, superlative most bomb)

(slang) Great, awesome.

Noun

the Bomb (plural Bombs)

(informal) The atomic bomb; the capacity to launch a nuclear attack.

Pakistan and India both have the Bomb now.

Source: Wiktionary


Bomb, n. Etym: [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.)

Definition: 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.

Bomb, v. t.

Definition: To bombard. [Obs.] Prior.

Bomb, v. i. Etym: [Cf. Boom.]

Definition: To sound; to boom; to make a humming or buzzing sound. [Obs.] B. Jonson.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

25 May 2025

ALBUTEROL

(noun) a bronchodilator (trade names Ventolin or Proventil) used for asthma and emphysema and other lung conditions; available in oral or inhalant forms; side effects are tachycardia and shakiness


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Coffee Trivia

Coffee dates back to the 9th century. Goat herders in Ethiopia noticed their goats seem to be “dancing” after eating berries from a particular shrub. They reported it to the local monastery, and a monk made a drink out of it. The monk found out he felt energized and kept him awake at night. That’s how the first coffee drink was born.

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