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
Mitchell McCluskey, CNN Money, 2 May 2026
McCarthy has a deft way with crafting suspense in his script, leading with character first, planting conversational bombs that go off at intervals throughout the plot.
—Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 2 May 2026
Explosion of leftover bombs killed 14 in Iran An explosion of leftover bombs from strikes during the war against Iran killed 14 Revolutionary Guard members, IRNA and other Iranian media reported Friday.
—Toqa Ezzidin, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2026
McCarthy has a deft way with crafting suspense in his script, leading with character first, planting conversational bombs that go off at intervals throughout the plot.
—Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 1 May 2026
An explosion of leftover bombs from strikes during the war against Iran killed 14 Revolutionary Guard members, IRNA and other Iranian media reported Friday.
—Arkansas Online, 1 May 2026
The Iraqi child who showed me his drawing of a sky raining with bombs.
—Literary Hub, 28 Apr. 2026
Baseball followed the numbers to their logical conclusion, saw people didn’t want the game engineered into stasis, and made changes to make the game more exciting for its fans and teams while keeping the guys around who could hit bombs.
—David Aldridge, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026
They can be equipped with a variety of munitions, including missiles, bombs, and gun pods on hardpoints.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 27 Apr. 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
In early March, the State Department made an emergency determination to bypass Congress and immediately sell 12,000 bombs to Israel.
—Mitchell McCluskey, CNN Money, 2 May 2026
McCarthy has a deft way with crafting suspense in his script, leading with character first, planting conversational bombs that go off at intervals throughout the plot.
—Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 2 May 2026
Explosion of leftover bombs killed 14 in Iran An explosion of leftover bombs from strikes during the war against Iran killed 14 Revolutionary Guard members, IRNA and other Iranian media reported Friday.
—Toqa Ezzidin, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2026
McCarthy has a deft way with crafting suspense in his script, leading with character first, planting conversational bombs that go off at intervals throughout the plot.
—Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 1 May 2026
An explosion of leftover bombs from strikes during the war against Iran killed 14 Revolutionary Guard members, IRNA and other Iranian media reported Friday.
—Arkansas Online, 1 May 2026
The Iraqi child who showed me his drawing of a sky raining with bombs.
—Literary Hub, 28 Apr. 2026
Baseball followed the numbers to their logical conclusion, saw people didn’t want the game engineered into stasis, and made changes to make the game more exciting for its fans and teams while keeping the guys around who could hit bombs.
—David Aldridge, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026
They can be equipped with a variety of munitions, including missiles, bombs, and gun pods on hardpoints.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 27 Apr. 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
-
With an adjournment deadline of midnight Wednesday, Ritter is facing daily disasters and dramas relating to lawmakers clamoring for votes on bills destined to die without their moment on the floor.—
Mark Pazniokas,
Hartford Courant,
2 May 2026
-
Miller served for a decade as chairman of Team Rubicon, a nonprofit that helps communities around the globe recover from disasters.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
Neuroscientists Wendy Suzuki, PhD, Samuel Wang, PhD, and Gary Small, MD explain how movement increases blood flow, boosts growth factors like BDNF, and floods the brain with mood-lifting neurochemicals.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
30 Apr. 2026
-
These pieces blend perfectly with lamps designed by Marcel Wanders, the subtle Ice Cream collection, and the natural light that floods the space, bringing the building’s century-old architecture to life.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Eta Aquarid meteors can be spotted from April 19 to May 28 as Earth passes through the debris trail left in the wake of Halley's Comet as the comet races along its 76-year orbit.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
2 May 2026
-
Jake LaRavia races down for a layup.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
2 May 2026
Verb
-
Disrupt that window through late nights, alcohol, a warm bedroom or fragmented sleep, and the surge collapses.—
Allison Palmer,
Kansas City Star,
29 Apr. 2026
-
As the video demonstrates, von Ensingen’s drawing (not in the show, alas) collapses all the levels, complete with stairs, setbacks, vaults, and columns, onto a single plane.—
Justin Davidson,
Curbed,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The Dark Knight Rises (2012) Those of us who love her were able to finally take a breather on this one when the film bros eventually shut up and were able to admit that Hathaway totally whips ass in this franchise closer.—
Chris Feil,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
-
Canty is one of the coaches who whips students into shape.—
Terell Bailey,
CBS News,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
During the drive, a tank shells the car, killing most of the occupants.—
E. Alex Jung,
Vulture,
11 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Many failures can be offset by a single success, which means this form of investing is likely to result in major innovation.—
Anis Uzzaman,
Fortune,
6 May 2026
-
But that Panarin trade doesn’t erase the team’s missteps to that point, like the decision to run it back with Jim Hiller despite last postseason’s failures.—
Shayna Goldman,
New York Times,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
Access to capable hardware lowers barriers, speeds iteration, and enables real-world testing beyond simulations, accelerating progress in embodied AI, especially in manipulation and applied robotics.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
1 May 2026
-
In the video, the vehicle speeds away.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bombs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bombs. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
