broadside

noun broad·side \ -ˌsīd \

Updated on: 15 May 2018

Definition of broadside

1 a (1) : a sizable sheet of paper printed on one side

(2) : a sheet printed on one or both sides and folded

b : something (such as a ballad) printed on a broadside

2 archaic : the side of a ship above the waterline

3 a : all the guns on one side of a ship; also : their simultaneous discharge

b : a volley of abuse or denunciation

4 : a broad or unbroken surface

See broadside defined for English-language learners

See broadside defined for kids

broadside was our Word of the Day on 09/26/2017. Hear the podcast!

Recent Examples of broadside from the Web

Officials said the bus was traveling eastbound on State Street when it was hit broadside by a Chevy Equinox.

— nicole blanchard, idahostatesman, "School bus driver cited for crash that shut down part of State Street | Idaho Statesman," 30 Apr. 2018
His remarks were a sharp counterpoint to broadsides leveled by the White House and some Republican lawmakers.

— kevin johnson, USA TODAY, "FBI Director Chris Wray's other mission: tending the bureau's 'brand' after months of turmoil," 24 Apr. 2018
Shorter’s vehicle ran a red light and the two vehicles struck each other broadside in the intersection, according to a CHP news release.

— cathy locke, sacbee, "CHP seeks witnesses to fatal crash near Oroville | The Sacramento Bee," 23 Jan. 2018
On Sunday, Trump's envoy to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, insisted the President had spent the week focused on foreign policy, demurring on questions about the Sunday morning broadside against Comey.

— kevin liptak, CNN, "Trump unloads Twitter fusillade as Comey interview nears," 15 Apr. 2018
Avenatti has become a brash spokesman for Daniels' cause, slinging rapid-fire broadsides in a media blitz that entered its third day on Friday.

— chicagotribune.com, "Once silent, Stormy Daniels speaks loudly with lawsuit targeting Trump," 10 Mar. 2018
The two-time Oscar-winning actress took a 23-year detour into politics, and clearly her blistering broadsides as a member of Parliament against the Conservative opposition have kept her histrionic powers sharp within a certain range.

— charles mcnulty, latimes.com, "Glenda Jackson steals the show in a thrilling, emotionally affecting 'Three Tall Women' on Broadway," 30 Mar. 2018
And the Chinese are seeing the trade tariffs as only a part of a much larger US broadside against China, says Mr. Alden of the Council on Foreign Relations, who spent four days this week in China.

— laurent belsie, The Christian Science Monitor, "Yes, a trade war could hurt everyone. But we're not there yet.," 22 Mar. 2018
Despite grumbles from industry groups, Trump’s new broadside against Chinese trade practices is likely to be better received by US allies than his last.

— tom simonite, WIRED, "Trump’s Latest China Tariffs Could Hurt Tech—and Even Social Media," 22 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'broadside.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

What do sheets of printed paper and a ship's artillery have in common? Not a whole lot besides their broadsides. The printing and naval senses of broadside arose independently in the 16th century. Printed broadsides may have first been decrees intended for public posting, so they were necessarily printed on one side of large sheets of paper. Soon even matters printed on one side of smallish sheets were called broadsides - advertisements, for example, or the so-called "broadside ballads," popular ditties that people stuck on the wall to sing from. In the nautical sense, broadside was originally the entire side of a ship above the water - which is where the guns were placed. The further use of broadside to refer to firing of the guns eventually led to the figurative "volley of abuse" sense.

First Known Use of broadside

1591

in the meaning defined at sense 2

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Other Paper Terms

folio, palimpsest, quire, ream

broadside

adjective

Definition of broadside

: directed or placed broadside

a broadside attack

First Known Use of broadside

1646

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

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broadside

adverb

Definition of broadside

1 a : with the side forward or toward a given point : sideways

turned broadside

b : directly from the side

the car was hit broadside

2 : in one volley

3 : at random

See broadside defined for English-language learners

Examples of broadside in a Sentence

The car was hit broadside.
one car hit the other broadside and crushed the passenger door

First Known Use of broadside

1786

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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broadside Synonyms

broadside

verb

Definition of broadside

transitive verb

: to hit broadside

the car was broadsided

See broadside defined for English-language learners

Examples of broadside in a Sentence

His car was broadsided by a truck as he was driving through the intersection.

Recent Examples of broadside from the Web

Rain from two systems is expected to broadside Northern California this week, dropping up to seven inches in Grass Valley, five inches in Sonora and three in Chico, Redding, Santa Rosa and Weaverville by Saturday morning.

— benjy egel, sacbee, "This week's storms could drop 100 inches of snow in the Sierra Nevada | The Sacramento Bee," 12 Mar. 2018
The impact pushed his little gray Civic into another lane, where it was broadsided by an SUV, killing our son instantly.

— chris erskine, latimes.com, "The most awful kind of grief. The most beautiful memories. So long, son," 15 Mar. 2018
On Sunday morning, Fegan's car was reportedly trying to cross or merge onto Highway 82 when it was broadsided by the bus.

— chris chavez, SI.com, "Report: Longtime NBA Agent Dan Fegan Killed In Car Crash Near Aspen," 25 Feb. 2018
In particular, vehicles do not have to cut directly in front of oncoming traffic to make a left turn, a maneuver that leads to broadside hits, one of the deadliest intersection crashes.

— tony bizjak, sacbee, "Traffic roundabouts once drew skepticism. Now Caltrans is among their biggest fans," 17 Jan. 2018
He is accused of driving past a stop sign at Dairy Mart Road and Camino de la Plaza and broadsiding a family’s Honda Accord.

— pauline repard, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Retrial ordered in DUI hit-run case that injured child," 13 Oct. 2017
The lights and sirens were activated in the police scout car at about 2:30 a.m. while traveling northbound on Moross, when a Chevrolet HHR broadsided the car at the Balfour intersection.

— robert allen, Detroit Free Press, "2 Detroit officers injured in crash with drunken-driving suspect," 3 Nov. 2017
The snowballing revelations about Donald Trump Jr.'s meeting with a Russian lawyer during last year's presidential campaign have broadsided the White House, distracting from its agenda as aides grapple with a crisis involving the president's family.

— the washington post, cleveland.com, "President Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin had undisclosed hour-long meeting at G20 Summit," 18 July 2017
WASHINGTON (AP) — The snowballing revelations about Donald Trump Jr.’s meeting with a Russian lawyer during last year’s presidential campaign have broadsided the White House.

— julie pace, The Seattle Times, "As Russia scandal touches his son, Trump privately rages," 11 July 2017

First Known Use of broadside

1981

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

BROADSIDE Defined for English Language Learners

broadside

noun

Definition of broadside for English Language Learners

: a very strong and harsh spoken or written attack
: an attack by a ship in which all the guns on one side of the ship are fired together

broadside

adverb

Definition of broadside for English Language Learners

: with the side facing forward
: directly from the side

broadside

verb

Definition of broadside for English Language Learners

: to hit (a vehicle) very hard from the side

BROADSIDE Defined for Kids

broadside

noun broad·side \ ˈbrȯd-ˌsīd \

Definition of broadside for Students

: a firing of all of the guns that are on the same side of a ship

broadside

adverb

Definition of broadside for Students

1 : with one side forward

turned broadside

2 : from the side

I hit the other car broadside.

Learn More about broadside

See words that rhyme with broadside Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for broadside Spanish Central: Translation of broadside Nglish: Translation of broadside for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of broadside for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about broadside

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broadside

Definition of broadside

broadside was our Word of the Day on 09/26/2017. Hear the podcast!

Recent Examples of broadside from the Web

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First Known Use of broadside

Other Paper Terms

broadside

Definition of broadside

First Known Use of broadside

broadside

Definition of broadside

Examples of broadside in a Sentence

First Known Use of broadside

broadside Synonyms

Synonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

broadside

Definition of broadside

Examples of broadside in a Sentence

Recent Examples of broadside from the Web

First Known Use of broadside

BROADSIDE Defined for English Language Learners

broadside

Definition of broadside for English Language Learners

broadside

Definition of broadside for English Language Learners

broadside

Definition of broadside for English Language Learners

BROADSIDE Defined for Kids

broadside

Definition of broadside for Students

broadside

Definition of broadside for Students

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