Bomb — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun verb /ˈbäm/

Meaning & Definition of Bomb

Bomb (noun)

  1. an explosive device fused to detonate under specified conditions
  2. atomic bomb; also, nuclear weapons in general —usually used with the
  3. a vessel for compressed gases

Bomb (verb)

  1. to attack with or as if with bombs, bombard
  2. to defeat decisively
  3. to score many runs against (a pitcher)

Bomb (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. something that has failed

    "her tell-all book was a bomb that landed on the remainder tables with a thud"

    similar: bummer, bust, catastrophe, clinker, clunker, debacle, disaster, dud, failure, fiasco, fizzle, flop, frost, lemon, loser, miss, shipwreck, turkey, washout
    related: also-ran, disappointment, dog, has-been, near miss, botch, hash, mess, muddle, shambles, nonevent, nonstarter
    opposite: blockbuster, hit, smash, success, winner
    near: corker, crackerjack, dandy, jim-dandy, phenomenon

  2. a very large amount of money

    "that stay at Claridge's cost a bomb, but it was worth it"

    similar: big bucks, boodle, bundle, earth, fortune, king's ransom, megabucks, mint, packet (chiefly British), pile, wad
    related: heap, pot, bonanza, mine, treasure trove, assets, capital, means, property, riches, wealth, wherewithal, bread (slang), cash, chips, currency, dough, gold, jack (slang), legal tender, lucre, pelf, tender, wampum
    opposite: mite, peanuts, pittance, song
    near: petty cash, pin money, pocket money, spending money

Bomb (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to attack with a rapid or overwhelming outpouring of many things at once

    "following the reporter's obscene outburst, viewers bombed the television station with an unprecedented number of complaints"

    similar: barrage, bombard
    related: examine, grill, interrogate, pump, query, question, quiz, debrief, cross-examine, catechize, annoy, harass, hound, pester, flood, inundate

  2. to proceed or move quickly

    "skiers bombing down the slope vied for the coveted gold medal"

    similar: barrel, belt, blast, blaze, blow, bolt, bowl, breeze, bundle, bustle, buzz, cannonball, careen, career, chase, course, crack (on), dash, drive, fly, hare, hasten, hie, highball, hotfoot (it), hump, hurl, hurry, hurtle, hustle, jet, jump, motor, nip, pelt, race, ram, rip, rocket, run, rush, rustle, scoot, scurry, scuttle, shoot, speed, step, tear, travel, trot, whirl, whisk, zip, zoom, beat it, get a move on, make tracks, shake a leg, step on it
    related: beetle, dart, flit, scamper, scud, scuffle, stampede, streak, whiz, gallop, jog, sprint, accelerate, quicken, step out, catch up, fast-forward, outpace, outrun, outstrip, overtake, arrow, beeline
    opposite: crawl, creep, poke
    near: dally, dawdle, dillydally, drag, hang (around or out), lag, linger, loiter, poke, tarry, amble, lumber, plod, saunter, shuffle, stroll, decelerate, slow (down or up)

  3. to be unsuccessful

    "the chichi restaurant bombed big-time, lasting only six months"

    similar: collapse, crater, fail, flame out, flop, flunk, fold, founder, miss, strike out, tank, wash out, come a cropper, come to grief, come up empty, die on the vine, fall flat, fall on one's face, fall short, lay an egg
    related: flounder, struggle, decline, sink, skid, slip, slump, wane, crash, crumble, miscarry, misfire, go under, implode, self-destruct
    opposite: click, come off, deliver, go, go over, pan out, succeed, work out
    near: cook, flourish, prosper, thrive, prevail, triumph, win

  4. to defeat by a large margin

    "it's no surprise that the inexperienced baseball team got totally bombed in its first game"

    similar: annihilate, blow away, bury, clobber, cream, drub, dust, flatten, paste, rout, shellac, skin, skunk, smoke (slang), smother, snow under, thrash, trim, tromp, trounce, wallop, wax (slang), whip, whomp, whop, whup, beat the pants off, eat alive, run circles around, wipe the floor with
    related: sweep, upset, beat, best, conquer, dispatch, hurdle, lick, master, overbear, overcome, overmatch, prevail (over), subdue, surmount, take, throw, triumph (over), win (against), worst, crush, knock off, knock over, overpower, overthrow, overwhelm, subjugate, upend, vanquish, ace (out), better, eclipse, exceed, outdistance, outdo, outfight, outshine, outstrip, overtop, surpass, top, transcend, edge (out), nose out, pip (British), cap, excel, flourish, score, succeed, break, destroy, do in, finish, sink, slaughter

  5. to use bombs or artillery against

    "the enemy has bombed the city again"

    similar: batter, blitz, blitzkrieg, bombard, cannonade, shell
    related: enfilade, rake, strafe, assail, assault, attack, devastate, hit, pound, ravage, strike

Related Entry: Time bomb (noun)

Time bomb is a different word from Bomb. The synonyms below are for time bomb, not for bomb.

  1. a potentially explosive place or situation

    "the region's political instability has turned it into a ticking time bomb"

    similar: flash point, powder keg, tinderbox, volcano
    related: hot button, third rail

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Bomb

The most common words with a similar meaning to Bomb:

Slang: smoke, wax
Chiefly British: packet
bummer, bust, catastrophe, clinker, clunker, debacle, disaster, dud, failure, fiasco, fizzle, flop, frost, lemon, loser, miss, shipwreck, turkey, washout, big bucks, boodle, bundle, earth, fortune, king's ransom, megabucks, mint, pile, wad, barrage, bombard, barrel, belt, blast, blaze, blow, bolt, bowl, breeze, bustle

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Bomb

Words with the opposite meaning of Bomb:

blockbuster, hit, smash, success, winner, mite, peanuts, pittance, song, crawl, creep, poke, click, come off, deliver, go, go over, pan out, succeed, work out

Related Words for Bomb

also-ran, disappointment, dog, has-been, near miss, botch, hash, mess, muddle, shambles, nonevent, nonstarter, heap, pot, bonanza, mine, treasure trove, assets, capital, means, property, riches, wealth, wherewithal, bread, cash, chips, currency, dough, gold

Near Antonyms of Bomb

corker, crackerjack, dandy, jim-dandy, phenomenon, petty cash, pin money, pocket money, spending money, dally, dawdle, dillydally, drag, hang (around or out), lag, linger, loiter, tarry, amble, lumber, plod, saunter, shuffle, stroll, decelerate, slow (down or up), cook, flourish, prosper, thrive

Word Forms of Bomb

Inflections: bombed, bombing, bombs

Derived words: bombing (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Bomb

borrowed from Spanish or Italian bomba or French bombe, all probably in part from an onomatopoeic base bomb- (as in Greek bómbos "booming, humming," Old Norse bumba "drum," Lithuanian bambėti "to mutter, mumble," Albanian bumbullin "it is thundering"), in part back-formation from Medieval Latin bombardus or Middle French bombarde bombard:1

First known use: 1627

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Bomb

Words & Phrases Containing Bomb

bomb cyclone, bomb scare, bomb site, bomb squad, bomb threat, A-bomb, atomic bomb, buzz bomb

Frequently Asked Questions about Bomb

What does "Bomb" mean?

"Bomb" means an explosive device fused to detonate under specified conditions. As an a noun and a verb, it is defined as: an explosive device fused to detonate under specified conditions. It has 7 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Bomb"?

Other words for "Bomb" include bummer, bust, catastrophe, clinker, clunker, debacle, disaster and dud. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Bomb" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Bomb"?

There are 299 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Bomb". Common alternatives include bummer, bust, catastrophe, clinker, clunker, debacle, disaster, dud, failure and fiasco.

What is the opposite of "Bomb"?

Antonyms of "Bomb" include blockbuster, hit, smash, success, winner, mite, peanuts and pittance. Near antonyms include corker, crackerjack, dandy and jim-dandy.

How do you use "Bomb" in a sentence?

Examples of "Bomb" in a sentence: "her tell-all book was a bomb that landed on the remainder tables with a thud"; "that stay at Claridge's cost a bomb, but it was worth it"; "following the reporter's obscene outburst, viewers bombed the television station with an unprecedented number of complaints".

Is "Bomb" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Bomb" can be used as a noun and a verb, depending on the context.

Is "Bomb" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a B1-level word, "Bomb" is typical of Cambridge B1 Preliminary (PET), IELTS band 4.0–5.0, TOEFL iBT 42–71, PTE Academic 43–58, TOEIC Listening & Reading 550+.

How do you pronounce "Bomb"?

"Bomb" is pronounced /ˈbäm/.