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In the late Middle Ages, a bombard was a cannon used to hurl large stones at enemy fortifications. Its name, which first appeared in English in the 15th century, comes from the Middle French bombarde, which in turn was probably a combination of the onomatopoeic bomb- and the suffix -arde (equivalent to the English -ard). The verb bombard blasted onto the scene in English in the 17th century, with an original meaning of "to attack especially with artillery"; as weapons technology improved throughout the centuries, such artillery came to include things like automatic rifles and bomber aircraft. Nowadays one can be bombarded figuratively in any number of ways, such as by omnipresent advertising messages or persistent phone calls.
Examples of bombard in a Sentence
Tom Mulherin, Boston Herald, 4 June 2026
Today, when we are bombarded with news, alerts, and the constant intrusion of digital devices into every facet of our lives, that sentiment seems truer than ever.
—Robb Report Studio, Robb Report, 3 June 2026
While the resources needed to bombard Dashlane servers with that volume of guesses in such a short period of time are possible, they’re not commonly found in usual brute-force attacks.
—ArsTechnica, 3 June 2026
The area had been heavily bombarded in recent weeks, and an Israeli drone buzzed overhead, looping around the cleaved remains of nearby buildings.
—Euan Ward, New Yorker, 29 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for bombard
Cite this Entry
“Bombard.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bombard. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
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