bombard

[v. bom-bahrd, buh m-; n. bom-bahrd] /v. bɒmˈbɑrd, bəm-; n. ˈbɒm bɑrd/
verb (used with object)
1.
to attack or batter with artillery fire.
2.
to attack with bombs.
3.
to assail vigorously:
to bombard the speaker with questions.
4.
Physics. to direct high energy particles or radiations against:
to bombard a nucleus.
noun
5.
the earliest kind of cannon, originally throwing stone balls.
6.
Nautical, bomb ketch.
7.
an English leather tankard of the 18th century and earlier, similar to but larger than a blackjack.
8.
Obsolete. a leather jug.
Origin
1400-50; late Middle English (noun) < Medieval Latin bombarda stone-throwing engine (Latin bomb(us) booming noise (see bomb) + -arda -ard)
Related forms
bombarder, noun
bombardment, noun
unbombarded, adjective
Synonyms
3. beset, harass, hound, besiege.
Examples from the web for bombard
  • All year long, from every direction, surveys bombard students.
  • Energetic protons from deep space continuously bombard our planet and strike atoms in the upper layers of the atmosphere.
  • bombard a tiny object with electrons, and you can create a large image with the focused beam.
  • To make atoms heavier than that, physicists must bombard uranium with neutrons, or squash smaller atoms together.
  • Interactions between elements and cosmic rays, which constantly bombard all planets, produce these gamma rays and neutrons.
  • They stand for about a minute as entangled photons bombard their skin with the photoelectric effect.
  • Yet instead of engaging with the public, national political leaders have chosen to bombard them with cheap slogans.
  • Neutrons from the solar wind continually bombard the moon.
  • They will know precisely what kind of advertising, coupons and junk mail to bombard users with.
  • Pressure surges bombard the sensitive nerve endings that normally transmit information about the body's position to the brain.
British Dictionary definitions for bombard

bombard

verb (transitive) (bɒmˈbɑːd)
1.
to attack with concentrated artillery fire or bombs
2.
to attack with vigour and persistence: the boxer bombarded his opponent with blows to the body
3.
to attack verbally, esp with questions: the journalists bombarded her with questions
4.
(physics) to direct high-energy particles or photons against (atoms, nuclei, etc) esp to produce ions or nuclear transformations
noun (ˈbɒmbɑːd)
5.
an ancient type of cannon that threw stone balls
Derived Forms
bombardment, noun
Word Origin
C15: from Old French bombarder to pelt, from bombarde stone-throwing cannon, probably from Latin bombus booming sound; see bomb
Word Origin and History for bombard
n.

early 15c., "catapult, military engine for throwing large stones," from Middle French bombarde "mortar, catapult" (14c.), from bombe (see bomb (n.)). The same word, from the same source, was used in English and French late 14c. in reference to the bass shawm, a bassoon-like musical instrument, preserving the "buzzing" sense in the Latin.

v.

1590s, from French bombarder, from bombarde "mortar, catapult" (see bombard (n.)). Figurative sense by 1765. Related: Bombarded; bombarding.