as in disasters
something that has failed
her tell-all book was a bomb that landed on the remainder tables with a thud
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in floods
to attack with a rapid or overwhelming outpouring of many things at once
following the reporter's obscene outburst, viewers bombed the television station with an unprecedented number of complaints
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in races
slang
to proceed or move quickly
skiers bombing down the slope vied for the coveted gold medal
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in collapses
to be unsuccessful
the chichi restaurant bombed big-time, lasting only six months
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in whips
to defeat by a large margin
it's no surprise that the inexperienced baseball team got totally bombed in its first game
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bombs
Babak Dehghanpisheh, NBC news, 1 Mar. 2026
No other country has those bombs.
—CBS News, 1 Mar. 2026
The last time American bombs fell on Tehran, in 2025, Mehdi Mahmoudian, an Iranian dissident, was locked inside the Evin House of Detention.
—Cora Engelbrecht, New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2026
Running for cover in Israel Ofer Lichtig has been running in and out of a safe room as bombs roared overhead of his home in Mevaseret Zion, a suburb of Jerusalem.
—Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 1 Mar. 2026
As evident in June’s strikes, dropping bombs in Iran did not yield results or halt their nuclear ambitions, and will not produce those outcomes now.
—Alec Johnson, jsonline.com, 28 Feb. 2026
The mixture of high-tech drones and World War I-style trench fighting has seen small groups of infantry — often just two or three soldiers — try to infiltrate enemy positions into towns flattened by Russian heavy artillery and glide bombs.
—ABC News, 22 Feb. 2026
Ruslan Tyshchenko was a sapper who defused bombs in Kharkiv, in northeastern Ukraine.
—Carol Guzy, NPR, 22 Feb. 2026
The 2025 Horns hit 85 bombs in 58 games.
—Cedric Golden, Austin American Statesman, 22 Feb. 2026
Erin Mansfield, USA Today, 1 Mar. 2026
Page Six gets a Hollywood edition Papps declined last week to reveal what stories his reporters were chasing and what bombs the political columnists will throw in its first editions.
—Christopher Weber, Chicago Tribune, 26 Jan. 2026
If Venezuela and its region instead spiral into chaos and suffering, Trump will merely look like a bully, a president who cowers when facing the mighty — in Moscow or Beijing, say — but bombs those who can’t return fire, whether in Nigeria, Yemen or Venezuela.
—Andreas Kluth, Boston Herald, 7 Jan. 2026
Above, South Lake Tahoe ripper Emma Dayberry bombs through Kirkwood’s fabled Finger chutes, a quick traverse off of the Cornice Express six-pack chairlift.
—Drew Zieff, Outside, 7 Nov. 2025
Ukraine bombs Russian energy infrastructure to defend civilians and destroy the Kremlin war machine.
—Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Oct. 2025
Remind them their worth is non-negotiable When your child fails — gets cut from the team, bombs a test — remind them their value isn't up for debate.
—Jennifer Breheny Wallace, CNBC, 21 Aug. 2025
Noun
Two opposing factions, the protesters pushing for greater freedom and the heavily armed security forces confronting them, are now vying for power while American and Israeli bombs continue to fall.
—Babak Dehghanpisheh, NBC news, 1 Mar. 2026
No other country has those bombs.
—CBS News, 1 Mar. 2026
The last time American bombs fell on Tehran, in 2025, Mehdi Mahmoudian, an Iranian dissident, was locked inside the Evin House of Detention.
—Cora Engelbrecht, New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2026
Running for cover in Israel Ofer Lichtig has been running in and out of a safe room as bombs roared overhead of his home in Mevaseret Zion, a suburb of Jerusalem.
—Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 1 Mar. 2026
As evident in June’s strikes, dropping bombs in Iran did not yield results or halt their nuclear ambitions, and will not produce those outcomes now.
—Alec Johnson, jsonline.com, 28 Feb. 2026
The mixture of high-tech drones and World War I-style trench fighting has seen small groups of infantry — often just two or three soldiers — try to infiltrate enemy positions into towns flattened by Russian heavy artillery and glide bombs.
—ABC News, 22 Feb. 2026
Ruslan Tyshchenko was a sapper who defused bombs in Kharkiv, in northeastern Ukraine.
—Carol Guzy, NPR, 22 Feb. 2026
The 2025 Horns hit 85 bombs in 58 games.
—Cedric Golden, Austin American Statesman, 22 Feb. 2026
Verb
The United States bombs Iran's nuclear facilities days later.
—Erin Mansfield, USA Today, 1 Mar. 2026
Page Six gets a Hollywood edition Papps declined last week to reveal what stories his reporters were chasing and what bombs the political columnists will throw in its first editions.
—Christopher Weber, Chicago Tribune, 26 Jan. 2026
If Venezuela and its region instead spiral into chaos and suffering, Trump will merely look like a bully, a president who cowers when facing the mighty — in Moscow or Beijing, say — but bombs those who can’t return fire, whether in Nigeria, Yemen or Venezuela.
—Andreas Kluth, Boston Herald, 7 Jan. 2026
Above, South Lake Tahoe ripper Emma Dayberry bombs through Kirkwood’s fabled Finger chutes, a quick traverse off of the Cornice Express six-pack chairlift.
—Drew Zieff, Outside, 7 Nov. 2025
Ukraine bombs Russian energy infrastructure to defend civilians and destroy the Kremlin war machine.
—Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Oct. 2025
Remind them their worth is non-negotiable When your child fails — gets cut from the team, bombs a test — remind them their value isn't up for debate.
—Jennifer Breheny Wallace, CNBC, 21 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bombs
Noun
-
Oil is lighter than water — that’s why disasters like those caused by the Exxon Valdez tanker and the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig create slicks on the surface.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Priority is given to people living in counties that have been impacted by disasters, and any remaining funds could go to people in other counties.—
Dale Denwalt,
Oklahoman,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The floating center console creates handbag storage and an available dual pane sunroof floods the cabin with light.—
Scotty Reiss,
Parents,
24 Feb. 2026
-
The title floods the screen, in lavishly flowing script, a whopping 49 minutes into this 108-minute neo-noir, not far off the halfway mark.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The officer quickly races into the arena, the more than 21-minute video released by the Pawtucket Police Department shows.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Feb. 2026
-
Pretending to be asleep, the girl desperately calls a family member who races to the house and calls 911 while on the road.—
Flint McColgan,
Boston Herald,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
By identifying patterns that precede instability, operators could intervene before plasma confinement collapses.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Mar. 2026
-
When normal matter collapses sufficiently, stars begin to form.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
When a dog repeatedly wags and whips its tail against hard surfaces, the tip can split open, bruise or break.—
Miriam Fauzia,
Dallas Morning News,
21 Jan. 2026
-
Benbrook whips Diamond Hill-Jarvis Benbrook stayed on pace for a playoff berth in District 8-4A as the Lady Bobcats thumped Fort Worth Diamond Hill-Jarvis 55-7.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
During the drive, a tank shells the car, killing most of the occupants.—
E. Alex Jung,
Vulture,
11 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
The aircraft, which has only 18 moving parts, is full of redundancy to prevent system failures.—
The Los Angeles Times,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Supervision failures at the jail and deaths that followed those failures have led to a pile of lawsuits.—
Ryan Oehrli
March 4,
Charlotte Observer,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
As the race speeds up and riders are jettisoned, the team cars are stuck further behind the bunch.—
Andy McGrath,
New York Times,
28 Feb. 2026
-
Once acquired, the UAV rapidly speeds towards the target, crashing into it.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bombs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bombs. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
