Definition of broadside
1a (1) : a sizable sheet of paper printed on one side (2) : a sheet printed on one or both sides and foldedb : something (such as a ballad) printed on a broadside
2 archaic : the side of a ship above the waterline
3a : all the guns on one side of a ship; also : their simultaneous dischargeb : a volley of abuse or denunciation
4 : a broad or unbroken surface
From the M-W Editors
Recent Examples of broadside from the Web
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In 2011 the BBC published a broadside by Matthew Engel, citing five common Americanisms, and inviting readers to send in their own least-favourite ones.
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Playing for a sellout crowd of 40,000-plus on a steamy summer night, the veteran four-piece attacked its 130-minute, hits-heavy set list with seasoned chops and an eye-popping broadside of pyro and visual effects.
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The motorcycle hit the car broadside, and Bruno was thrown from the bike, authorities said.
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The meme marks the latest escalation in a series of social media broadsides lobbed at CNN by the president, who is reportedly a grown adult.
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The political history included on the 1820 broadside (see below) notes that a public backlash following the 1812 election led to passage of a new districting law.
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And as President Donald Trump advocates a fierce America-first policy of trade protectionism, the ruling also raised questions of how his administration would respond to the broadside hit against one of the richest companies in the United States.
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The president’s tweets on Russia and on Mr. Obama were bracketed by two other broadsides.
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The car then wildly turns back to the right, crosses lanes and broadsides a white pickup truck which is knocked over on its side.
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
Other Paper Terms
folio, palimpsest, quire, ream
broadside
Definition of broadside
: directed or placed broadside a broadside attack
First Known Use of broadside
1646
broadside
Definition of broadside
1a : with the side forward or toward a given point : sideways turned broadsideb : directly from the side the car was hit broadside
2 : in one volley
3 : at random
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
broadside
Definition of broadside
transitive verb
: to hit broadside the car was broadsided
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
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Two officers were riding in a marked police car west on Del Mar Avenue through the intersection of Newport Boulevard at about 11:30 p.m. Monday when a Chevrolet Suburban traveling north on Newport Boulevard ran a red light and broadsided them, Lt.
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A 61-year-old man died early Sunday after his SUV was broadsided near Bonsall by a driver suspected of being drunk, a California Highway Patrol officer said.
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Seven sailors had been missing following the 2:30 a.m. incident, in which a Japanese-chartered container ship named the ACX Crystal broadsided the USS Fitzgerald, caving in part of the destroyer’s starboard side.
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Ordogne was southbound on Westmoreland Road on the way to a call when he was broadsided by a white Chevrolet Silverado coming across the intersection.
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Martinez said Ordogne was southbound on Westmoreland Road on the way to a call when he was broadsided by a white Chevrolet Silverado coming across the intersection.
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A preliminary investigation indicated that the Elantra was traveling westbound on Kimberly Avenue at Acacia Avenue when it was broadsided on the passenger side by a the Altima, Radus said.
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.
First Known Use of broadside
1981
BROADSIDE Defined for English Language Learners
broadside
playDefinition of broadside for English Language Learners
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: a very strong and harsh spoken or written attack
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: an attack by a ship in which all the guns on one side of the ship are fired together
broadside
Definition of broadside for English Language Learners
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: with the side facing forward
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: directly from the side
broadside
Definition of broadside for English Language Learners
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: to hit (a vehicle) very hard from the side
BROADSIDE Defined for Kids
Definition of broadside for Students
: a firing of all of the guns that are on the same side of a ship
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
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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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