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

Yamazaki has said his film is in part a response to Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, which didn’t show the effect of the atomic bomb on people. — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 6 Nov. 2026

The horrors of the atomic bomb, America’s culpability and relation to postwar Japan, and the morality of revenge are major themes in Minus Zero. — James Grebey, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2026

The documentary revisits France’s first atomic bomb detonation on February 13, 1960 close to the remote town of Reggane in the heart of the Sahara Desert in Algeria, at a time when the country was still under French colonial rule. — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 30 Oct. 2026

Hanford produced two-thirds of the plutonium for the nation’s nuclear arsenal and fueled the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, in 1945. — Lizz Giordano, ProPublica, 22 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1914, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for atomic bomb

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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