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

While best known as the birthplace of the atomic bomb, the lab today focuses on everything from national security, nuclear fusion, renewable energy, medicine and nanotechnology. —David Faris, Newsweek, 10 July 2024

Newly out of the Army, having lived through the Second World War and the dropping of the atomic bombs, and living in Cold War America, Doctorow certainly was making a point about the horrors of war, its allure in memory, and the irony of celebrating bloodshed. —Deborah Treisman, The New Yorker, 1 July 2024

Spies in the Congo: America’s Atomic Mission in World War II The uranium used to build the first U.S. atomic bombs came from the Shinkolobwe mine in Katanga Province in what was then the Belgian Congo. —Tatiana Carayannis, Foreign Affairs, 10 June 2024

Similarly, and even worse, was what happened to the citizens of Hiroshima and Nagasaki when the Japanese government refused to surrender in WWII and the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on those cities. —Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 11 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1914, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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