barrage

1 of 3

noun (1)

bar·​rage ˈbär-ij How to pronounce barrage (audio)
: a dam placed in a watercourse to increase the depth of water or to divert it into a channel for navigation or irrigation

barrage

2 of 3

noun (2)

bar·​rage bə-ˈräzh How to pronounce barrage (audio) -ˈräj How to pronounce barrage (audio)
1
military : artillery fire laid on a line (see line entry 1 sense 6c) close to friendly troops to screen and protect them
The enemy laid down a barrage of machine-gun fire as our platoon approached the bridge.
2
: a vigorous or rapid outpouring or projection of many things at once
a barrage of phone calls
unleashed a barrage of insults
an oratorical barrage

barrage

3 of 3

verb

bar·​rage bə-ˈräzh How to pronounce barrage (audio) -ˈräj How to pronounce barrage (audio)
barraged; barraging

transitive verb

: to deliver a barrage (see barrage entry 2) against
were barraged with bullets
being barraged by campaign ads before the election

Examples of barrage in a Sentence

Noun (2) the teacher's rapid-fire barrage of homework assignments went by too fast for me to write them all down Verb the star athlete was barraged with requests for an autograph
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The state has seen a barrage of new investments in battery plants and electric vehicle manufacturing in recent years. Madeleine Ngo, New York Times, 15 May 2024 Coloradans looking to buy homes or simply hold onto their property face a barrage of challenges: a white-hot real estate market, high interest rates and soaring property taxes. Judith Kohler, The Denver Post, 11 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for barrage 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'barrage.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

French, from barrer to bar, from barre bar

Noun (2)

French (tir de) barrage barrier fire

Verb

verbal derivative of barrage entry 2

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1837, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1915, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1918, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of barrage was in 1837

Dictionary Entries Near barrage

Cite this Entry

“Barrage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/barrage. Accessed 29 May. 2024.

Kids Definition

barrage

noun
bar·​rage
bə-ˈräzh,
-ˈräj
1
: a barrier formed by continuous artillery or machine-gun fire directed upon a narrow strip of ground
2
: a rapid or furiously active flow (as of speech or writing)

More from Merriam-Webster on barrage

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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