bombard

Noun · Verb
US[bom-bahrd]/bɑmˈbɑrd/2 syllables
Synonyms: bombardonpeltbombbarrage

Open English WordNet

Noun (1)

  1. a large shawm; the bass member of the shawm familySynonyms: bombardonType of shawm, bass

Verb (4)bombarded, bombarding

  1. cast, hurl, or throw repeatedly with some missile“They pelted each other with snowballs”Synonyms: peltMore general throw, loftMore specific lapidate, snowball, egg
  2. throw bombs at or attack with bombs“The Americans bombed Dresden”Synonyms: bombMore general attack, assailMore specific blast, glide-bomb, carpet bomb, hydrogen-bomb, letter bomb, bomb out, atom-bomb, pattern-bomb, nuke, dive-bomb +2 more
  3. address with continuously or persistently, as if with a barrage“The speaker was barraged by an angry audience”“The governor was bombarded with requests to grant a pardon to the convicted killer”Synonyms: barrageMore general attack, round
  4. direct high energy particles or radiation againstMore general irradiate, ray

Related words pelter noun, rain noun, bomber noun, bomb noun, bombardment noun, barrage noun

Word of the day · Nov 4About this word
insipidadjective

What does it mean? Question 1 of today’s quiz

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Webster's Dictionary (1913)

Bom′bard (…), noun

Origin: F. bombarde, LL. bombarda, fr. L. bombus + -ard. Cf. Bumper, and see Bomb.

1. Gunnery A piece of heavy ordnance formerly used for throwing stones and other ponderous missiles. It was the earliest kind of cannon.

They planted in divers places twelve great bombards, wherewith they threw huge stones into the air, which, falling down into the city, might break down the houses.— Richard Knolles

2. A bombardment. poetic & rare Joel Barlow

3. A large drinking vessel or can, or a leather bottle, for carrying liquor or beer. obsolete

Yond same black cloud, yond huge one, looks like a foul bombard that would shed his liquor.— William Shakespeare

4. pl. Padded breeches. obsolete

Bombard phrase, inflated language; bombast. obsolete Ben Jonson

Bom′bard (…), noun

Origin: OE. bombarde, fr. F. bombarde.

Music See Bombardo. obsolete

Bom·bard′ (…), transitive verb [past tense & past participle Bombarded; present participle & verbal noun Bombarding.]

To attack with bombards or with artillery; especially, to throw shells, hot shot, etc., at or into.

Next, she means to bombard Naples.— Edmund Burke
His fleet bombarded and burnt down Dieppe.— Anthony. Wood

Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54

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