atomic bomb

noun

1

: a bomb whose violent explosive power is due to the sudden release of energy resulting from the splitting of nuclei of a heavy chemical element (such as plutonium or uranium) by neutrons in a very rapid chain reaction

called also atom bomb

2

: a nuclear weapon (such as a hydrogen bomb)

Examples of atomic bomb in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

McMahon claimed that an atomic bomb would become cheaper to manufacture than a tank. —Big Think, 27 Nov. 2025

Atomic People, in many ways, is a historical, very pure documentary about the experiences of people who survived the atomic bomb. —Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 25 Nov. 2025

My parents didn’t realize it at the time, but I was born the same week the first-ever atomic bomb was tested at the Trinity site. —Ahmed Naji, The Dial, 18 Nov. 2025

Those detonations had the explosive equivalent of one Hiroshima-sized atomic bomb every day for 20 years, according to a 2025 report from the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research (IEER). —Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 4 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1914, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for atomic bomb

• microbiome
• aplomb
• balaam
• cocom
• embalm
• islam
• pogrom
• salaam
• sitcom
• balm
• bom
• calm

Kids Definition

atomic bomb

noun

1

: a bomb whose violent explosive power is due to the sudden release of energy resulting from the splitting of nuclei of a heavy chemical element (as plutonium or uranium) by neutrons

called also atom bomb

2

: hydrogen bomb