hydrogen bomb

noun

|Updated on: 1 Aug 2018

Definition of hydrogen bomb

: a bomb whose violent explosive power is due to the sudden release of atomic energy resulting from the fusion of light nuclei (as of hydrogen atoms) at very high temperature and pressure to form helium nuclei

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Recent Examples of hydrogen bomb from the Web

Stability North Korea rattled the region last year with its sixth underground nuclear explosion — of a possible hydrogen bomb — and 24 missile tests, including of a new intercontinental ballistic missile capable of hitting all of the United States.

— motoko rich, New York Times, "Nixon Did It. Why Not Trump? Crib Notes for a Presidential Summit," 11 June 2018
North Korea claimed the explosion was from a hydrogen bomb, a more complicated design that requires a nuclear bomb to trigger a secondary explosion that's vastly more destructive.

— NBC News, "North Korea's many nuclear weapons and how to rid the world of them," 11 June 2018
Democrats argued that a witness such as Strzok would not be expected to publicly disclose sensitive information like the blueprint for a hydrogen bomb.

— aaron blake, chicagotribune.com, "7 key moments from FBI agent's Peter Strzok's wild House hearing," 12 July 2018
Estimates range from 20 to 60 warheads, and its latest test was apparently of a hydrogen bomb, 100 times bigger than the earliest devices.

— The Economist, "North Korea presents nuclear disarmament’s biggest challenge yet," 5 July 2018
Meanwhile, the freeze on new material — including tritium, an element necessary for the North to make advanced atomic bombs as well as the far more powerful hydrogen bombs — would mean that the program would slowly decay.

— william j. broad, The Seattle Times, "Bolton says North Korea could disarm in a year," 2 July 2018
Plutonium is also ideal for igniting the thermonuclear fuel of hydrogen bombs.

— New York Times, "North Korea Nuclear Disarmament Could Take 15 Years, Expert Warns," 28 May 2018
Its most recent and most powerful explosion, which the North claims tested a hydrogen bomb, was in September.

— Washington Post, "In North Korea nuke site closure, spectacle trumps substance," 23 May 2018
That’s why atomic and hydrogen bombs are so powerful.

— NBC News, "What is relativity? Einstein's mind-bending theory explained," 13 Apr. 2018

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

First Known Use of hydrogen bomb

1947

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HYDROGEN BOMB Defined for English Language Learners

hydrogen bomb

noun

Definition of hydrogen bomb for English Language Learners

: a bomb that produces an extremely powerful and destructive explosion when hydrogen atoms unite

HYDROGEN BOMB Defined for Kids

hydrogen bomb

noun

Definition of hydrogen bomb for Students

: a bomb whose great power is due to the sudden release of energy when the central portions of hydrogen atoms unite

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See words that rhyme with hydrogen bomb Spanish Central: Translation of hydrogen bomb Nglish: Translation of hydrogen bomb for Spanish speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about hydrogen bomb

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