Word.ws English Dictionary

bomb

UK/bɒm/

More pronunciations (1)Fewer pronunciations

Australia/bɔm/

bomb noun: an explosive device used or intended as a weapon, especially, one dropped from an aircraft. Also the ellipsis of bomb ship.

bomb: an explosive device used or intended as a weapon, especially, one dropped from an aircraft
Image: http:/, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Noun (1)

bomb (plural bombs)

  1. An explosive device used or intended as a weapon, especially, one dropped from an aircraft.
    • The size of the ground hole crater from the blast indicates it was a bomb.2008, Sidney Gelb, Foreign Service Agent, page 629
    1. (dated, often) The atomic bomb.
      • During the Cold War, everyone worried about the bomb sometimes.
    2. (figuratively) Events or conditions that have a speedy destructive effect.
      • If Alberta’s reserves are a carbon bomb, this global expansion of tar sands and oil shale exploitation amounts to an escalating emissions arms race, the unlocking of a subterranean cache of weapons of mass ecological destruction.2014 April 25, Martin Lukacs, “Canada becoming launch-pad of a global tar sands and oil shale frenzy”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 190, number 20, page 13
      • "The hard Brexiteers have built a bomb under the UK automotive industry and the EU have lit it," they said.2018 June 6, “Brexit: EU advises businesses not to use British components because of Theresa May's plan to leave customs union”, in The Guardian
    3. (archaic, historical) A grenade, mortar shell, or artillery shell.
      • And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air / Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there1814, “The Star-Spangled Banner”, Francis Scott Key (lyrics), John Stafford Smith (music)
  2. (colloquial) Any explosive charge.
    • The mineworkers are setting their bombs.
  3. (in-compounds) A bag or balloon containing a substance such as water, flour, or paint, designed to burst and splatter.
    • The children are playing with water bombs in the garden.
    • Activists threw paint bombs at the famous artwork.
  4. (colloquial, figuratively) Anything that is at risk of exploding (literally) or that has exploded.
    • That turkey fryer is a bomb waiting to go off.
    • The gas leak tragically turned the house into a bomb.
  5. (India, South, colloquial) A fart.
    • He just dropped a bomb.
  6. (slang) A failure; an unpopular commercial product.
    • box-office bomb
    • Projection problems plagued Countess’ London premiere on January 5, 1967, Jerry Epstein recalled, and it was perhaps an omen, for reaction by critics afterward was swift and immediate: The film was a bomb.1997, Eric L. Flom, Chaplin in the Sound Era: An Analysis of the Seven Talkies, page 277
  7. (Australia, US, informal) A car in poor condition.
    • Nowadays, an old bomb simply won’t pass the inspection.2005 August 6, “Warm affection for a rust-bucket past”, in Sydney Morning Herald
    • We′ve got the money and it just feels ridiculous to let you drive around in that old bomb.2010, Rebecca James, Beautiful Malice, page 19
    Synonyms:
    lemon, rustbucket
  8. (Australia, UK, slang) A large amount of money.
    • make a bomb
    • cost a bomb
  9. (UK, slang) A success; the bomb.
    • Our fabulous new crumpets have been selling like a bomb.
  10. (India, UK, slang) A very attractive woman.
    Synonyms:
    bombshell
  11. (in-compounds, often) An action or statement that causes a strong reaction.
    • It was an ordinary speech, until the president dropped a bomb: he would be retiring for medical reasons.
    Synonyms:
    bombshell
  12. (in-compounds, often) An obscene word identified by its first letter.
    • Normally very controlled, he dropped the F-bomb and cursed the paparazzi.
    Synonyms:
    bombshell
Show 12 more meaningsShow fewer meanings
  1. (slang) A long forward pass.
  2. (slang) A high kick that sends the ball relatively straight up so players can get under it before it comes down.
  3. (slang) A throw into the basket from a considerable distance.
    • With five seconds remaining, Smith received the inbounds pass and launched a bomb that dropped through the net to give his team an 80-79 victory.2013, Brett L. Abrams, Raphael Mazzone, The Bullets, the Wizards, and Washington, DC, Basketball, page 163
  4. (slang) A highly potent joint (cannabis cigarette).
    • Give me two bucks, you take a puff and pass my bomb back / Suck up that dank like a Slurpee, the serious / Bomb will make a niggy go delirious like Eddie Murphy1995, “I Got 5 on It”, in Operation Stackola, performed by Luniz
  5. (in-compounds, informal) A piece of food, often small, usually intensely flavored.
    • Bacon-wrapped sausage stuffed with cheese, onions, jalapenos, and more bacon is as artery-clogging as it is delicious! […] Remove bacon bomb from the smoker; let rest for 30 minutes before slicing.2018, Rubyduck75 [username], “Smoked Bacon Bombs”, in All recipes, archived from the original on 14 Oct 2018
    • Amazing Pepperoni Pizza Bombs explode with flavor with every bite! They are loaded with pepperoni, cheese, and sauce to create a delicious POP of flavor in your mouth – hence the name!2023 April 9, Amy Desrosiers, “Amazing Pepperoni Cheese Pizza Bombs That Explode With Flavor!”, in Sizzling Eats, archived from the original on 07 Jan 2026
  6. A cyclone whose central pressure drops at an average rate of at least one millibar per hour for at least 24 hours.
    • A bomb for this study is defined as one in which the deepening rate is the geostrophic equivalent of at least 12 mb in 12 h at 45ºN.1980 October, Frederick Sanders with John R. Gyakum, “Synoptic-dynamic climatology of the 'bomb'”, in Monthly Weather Review, volume 108, number 10, page 1596
  7. A heavy-walled container designed to permit chemical reactions under high pressure.
    • The process consisted in preparing the metal by metallothermic reduction of titanium tetrachloride with sodium metal in a steel bomb.2008, François Cardarelli, Materials Handbook: A Concise Desktop Reference, page 276
  8. (obsolete) A great booming noise; a hollow sound.
    • a Pillar of Iron […] Which if you had ſtrucke […] it would make a great Bombe in the Chamber beneath.1627 (indicated as 1626), Francis [Bacon], “II. Century.”, in Sylua Syluarum: Or A Naturall Historie. In Ten Centuries. […], London: […] William Rawley […]; [p]rinted by J[ohn] H[aviland] for William...
  9. (plural, slang, usually) A woman’s breast.
    • Birdie was okay, and occasionally in passing Mort would give her a slap on the behind, or cop of feel of those bombs of hers.1970 [1937], Meyer Levin, The Old Bunch, page 477
    • voices from the crowd: Hit her below the belt. (Laughter)
      voices:Her bombs might explode!1989, Lasse Hallström, Reidar Jönsson, Brasse Brännström, Per Berglund, My Life as a Dog, screenplay, page 58
  10. A professional wrestling throw in which an opponent is lifted and then slammed back-first down to the mat.
  11. (slang) A recreational drug ground up, wrapped, and swallowed.
  12. (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.
    • In clear contravention of the International Code of Conduct for Swimming Baths, a teenager had entered the pool by performing a bomb.2016, Steve Coogan, Neil Gibbons & Rob Gibbons, Alan Partridge: Nomad, page 45
    Synonyms:
    cannonball

Verb

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

  1. (intransitive, transitive) To attack using one or more bombs; to bombard.
    • 15 May: US jets bombed air-defence sites north of Mosul, as the Russian Foreign Ministry accused the US and Britain of intentionally bombing civilian targets. (AP)2000, Canadian Peace Research Institute, Canadian Peace Research and Education Association, Peace Research, Volumes 32-33, page 65
    • Italy had bombed cities in the Ethiopian war; Italy and Germany had bombed civilians in the Spanish Civil War; at the start of World War II German planes dropped bombs on Rotterdam in Holland, Coventry in England, and elsewhere.2005, Howard Zinn, A People's History of the United States: 1492-Present, page 421
    1. (figuratively, intransitive, often, transitive) To attack or annoy in the manner of a bombing.
      • School days have been missed or cut short many times to accommodate soccer travel through the years, but this return felt different. Photos posted on his social media documenting the experience were seen by classmates, many of whom bombed him with questions about his future in the sport.2022 May 7, Ray Brewer, “Henderson native takes another step toward his soccer dreams with spot on Lights' roster”, in Las Vegas Sun
  2. (informal) To jump into water in a squatting position, with the arms wrapped around the legs, in order to maximise the resulting splash.
  3. (informal) To add an excessive amount of chlorine to a pool when it has not been maintained properly.
  4. (especially, informal, down, up etc.) To move at high speed.
    • I was bombing down the road on my motorbike.
  5. (reflexive, slang) To make oneself drunk.
    • The calendar was selling Moctezuma beer, so I had one of them in her honor while Murray bombed himself with the mezcal.1985, Pete Hamill, Dirty Laundry, page 97
    • TED: The champagne you ordered, sir.
      MAN: No time for this. Leave it on ice.
      WIFE: But I want some now...
      MAN: There'll be plenty for you at the party, baby, you can bomb yourself all you want at the party.1995, Four Rooms (film)
  6. (slang) To cover an area in many graffiti tags.
    • It is often used to collect other writer's tags, and future plans for bombing and piecing.2009, Scape Martinez, GRAFF: The Art & Technique of Graffiti, page 124
  7. (ambitransitive, slang) To fail dismally.
    • I totally bombed that exam.
    • The nondiscrimination measures bombed at the polls, losing 18 percent to 82 percent. One gay activist in the city told GCN, "We got whupped."1985 February 2, Sue Hyde, “Houston Gay Rights Squashed in Referendum”, in Gay Community News, volume 12, number 28, page 1
  8. (intransitive, slang) To crash.
    • When things weren't going Alison's way at work — some editor wanted something changed or her computer bombed again — she'd cuss and yell at whoever happened to be in the way.2001, Janet Holm McHenry, Girlfriend Gatherings: Creative Ways to Stay Connected, page 28
  9. (slang, transitive) To make a smelly mess in (a toilet).
    Synonyms:
    blow up
  10. (obsolete) To sound; to boom; to make a humming or buzzing sound.
    • 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
  11. (slang) Synonym of parachute (“wrap illicit drugs in a covering before swallowing them”).
    Synonyms:
    parachute

Adjective

bomb (comparative more bomb, superlative most bomb)

  1. (slang) Great, awesome.
    • Have you tried the new tacos from that restaurant? They're pretty bomb!

Phrase capitalized: BOMB

BOMB

  1. (abbreviation, derogatory, initialism, offensive, slang, vulgar) Initialism of bottom of the motherfucking barrel (indicating that something or someone is egregiously unfavorable).

Noun (2) capitalized: Bomb

the Bomb (plural Bombs)

  1. (informal) The atomic bomb; the capacity to launch a nuclear attack.
    • Pakistan and India both have the Bomb now.

Also used as

bomb is also the ellipsis of bomb ship.

bomb is also the alternative form of boom.

bomb meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Urdu

bomb in Hindi

device filled with explosives
बम bam, गोला golā
attack with bombs
बमबारी करना bambārī karnā

bomb in Tamil

device filled with explosives
வெடிகுண்டு veṭikuṇṭu, குண்டு kuṇṭu

bomb in Marathi

device filled with explosives
ध्वम dhvam, बॉम्ब bŏmba

bomb in Urdu

device filled with explosives
بَم bam, گولا golā, گولَہ gola
More languagesFewer languages
bomb in Bengali
বোমা bōma
bomb in Kannada
ಸಿಡಿಗುಂಡು siḍiguṇḍu
bomb in Gujarati
બૉમ્બ bŏmb
bomb in Sinhala
බෝම්බය bōmbaya
bomb in Pashto
بم bam
bomb in Tagalog
bomba
bomb in Arabic
قُنْبُلَة qunbula, قَنْبَلَ qanbala
bomb in Malay
bom
bomb in Indonesian
bom, membomi
bomb in Persian
بمباران کردن bombârân kardan
bomb in Thai
ระเบิด rá-bə̀ət, บอมบ์ bɔm
bomb in Vietnamese
bom, ném bom
bomb in Myanmar
ဗုံး bum:, မိုင်း muing:

Examples of bomb in a sentence

  • Trump, and willingness to toss proverbial bombs in Washington’s corridors of power, has shown no bounds, at least in public.2024 November 14, Linda Feldmann, Henry Gass, “Trump’s eye-popping Cabinet picks show his top priority: Loyalty”, in The Christian Science...
  • The movie was a bomb and so was my next film, Balboa, in which I played a scheming real estate tycoon.2010, Tony Curtis, Peter Golenbock, American Prince: My Autobiography, unnumbered page:
  • The movie was a bomb, but it put the band before an even larger audience.2011, Elizabeth Barfoot Christian, Rock Brands: Selling Sound in a Media Saturated Culture, page 11:
  • After two weeks of driving it she knew the car was a bomb and she did not need anyone saying it to her.2011, Amarinda Jones, Seducing Celestine, page 49:

All 40 example sentences with bomb

Synonyms of bomb

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All synonyms of bomb

Forms of bomb

Noun
pluralbombs
pluralBombs
Verb
third-person singular presentbombs
present participlebombing
past participlebombed
pastbombed
Adjective
comparativemore bomb
superlativemost bomb

Past tense of bomb: bombed

Plural of bomb: bombs

Origin of bomb

From French bombe, from Italian bomba, from Latin bombus (“a booming sound”), from Ancient Greek βόμβος (bómbos, “booming, humming, buzzing”), imitative of the sound itself. Doublet of bombe. Compare boom.

Words formed from bomb

Phrases with bomb

151 more phrasesFewer phrases

Words that rhyme with bomb

6 more rhymesFewer rhymes

Questions about bomb

What does bomb mean?
Bomb means an explosive device used or intended as a weapon, especially, one dropped from an aircraft.
What is bomb in Hindi?
Bomb in Hindi is बम (bam), गोला (golā), बमबारी करना (bambārī karnā). See Bomb meaning in Hindi.
How do you use bomb in a sentence?
Trump, and willingness to toss proverbial bombs in Washington’s corridors of power, has shown no bounds, at least in public.
What part of speech is bomb?
Bomb can be a noun, a verb, an adjective or a phrase.
How do you pronounce bomb?
Bomb is pronounced /bɒm/ (UK).
What is the plural of bomb?
The plural of bomb is bombs.

Words near bomb in the dictionary

  1. Bomar
  2. Bomars
  3. Bomarsund
  4. bomas
  5. Bomasdhoo
  6. bomb
  7. bomb around
  8. bomb ass
  9. bomb calorimeter
  10. bomb calorimeters
  11. bomb crater

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: bomb (page history and authors); BOMB (page history and authors); Bomb (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-bomb.ogg, EN-AU ck1 bomb.ogg.

Cite this entry: “bomb.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/bomb. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.