bomb. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

bomb

PRONUNCIATION:	bm
NOUN:	1a. An explosive weapon detonated by impact, proximity to an object, a timing mechanism, or other means. b. An atomic or nuclear bomb. Used with the. 2. Any of various weapons detonated to release destructive material, such as smoke or gas. 3. Football A long forward pass. 4a. A container capable of withstanding high internal pressure. b. A vessel for storing compressed gas. c. A portable, manually operated container that ejects a spray, foam, or gas under pressure. 5. Slang A dismal failure; a fiasco. 6. Slang An old car. 7. Chiefly British Slang a. A large amount of money. b. A great success.
VERB:	Inflected forms: bombed, bomb·ing, bombs
TRANSITIVE VERB:	To attack, damage, or destroy with or as if with bombs.
INTRANSITIVE VERB:	1. To drop a bomb or bombs. 2. Slang To fail miserably: The play bombed. 3. Slang To paint a graffito.
ETYMOLOGY:	French bombe, from Italian bomba, probably from Latin bombus, a booming sound, from Greek bombos, of imitative origin.


The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.