Thesaurus results for BOMBARD

Q: How does the verb 'bombard' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of bombard are assail , assault , attack , and storm . While all these words mean "to make an onslaught upon," bombard applies to attacking with bombs or shells. // bombarded the city nightly

Q: When is 'assail' a more appropriate choice than 'bombard'?

While the synonyms assail and bombard are close in meaning, assail implies attempting to break down resistance by repeated blows or shots. // assailed the enemy with artillery fire

Q: When could 'assault' be used to replace 'bombard'?

While in some cases nearly identical to bombard , assault suggests a direct attempt to overpower by suddenness and violence of onslaught. // commandos assaulted the building from all sides

Q: When might 'attack' be a better fit than 'bombard'?

The words attack and bombard can be used in similar contexts, but attack implies taking the initiative in a struggle. // plan to attack the town at dawn

Q: When can 'storm' be used instead of 'bombard'?

The meanings of storm and bombard largely overlap; however, storm implies attempting to break into a defended position. // preparing to storm the fortress

bombard

verb

bäm-ˈbärd

Definition of bombard

as in to bomb

to use bombs or artillery against the Allies bombarded Germany for a great many months during World War II

Synonyms & Similar Words

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as in to barrage

to attack with a rapid or overwhelming outpouring of many things at once reporters bombarded the company spokesman with sharp questions

Synonyms & Similar Words

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How does the verb bombard contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of bombard are assail, assault, attack, and storm. While all these words mean "to make an onslaught upon," bombard applies to attacking with bombs or shells.

bombarded the city nightly

When is assail a more appropriate choice than bombard?

While the synonyms assail and bombard are close in meaning, assail implies attempting to break down resistance by repeated blows or shots.

assailed the enemy with artillery fire

When could assault be used to replace bombard?

While in some cases nearly identical to bombard, assault suggests a direct attempt to overpower by suddenness and violence of onslaught.

commandos assaulted the building from all sides

When might attack be a better fit than bombard?

The words attack and bombard can be used in similar contexts, but attack implies taking the initiative in a struggle.

plan to attack the town at dawn

When can storm be used instead of bombard?

The meanings of storm and bombard largely overlap; however, storm implies attempting to break into a defended position.

preparing to storm the fortress

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 bombard Along with the rockets and spacecraft that transport them into orbit, satellites are constantly bombarded with fast moving particles that travel through space called cosmic rays. — Andrea Richard, The Conversation, 2 Oct. 2026 For months before today’s launch, Google has been anticipating those problems on Earth, shaking spacecraft to simulate the launch and bombarding its chips with proton beams to test their response to radiation. — Peter Hall, Scientific American, 1 Oct. 2026 Someone bombards you with a stack of un-asked for pages at a coffee date? — Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2026 The duo also translate the musical signals being emitted by the cosmic rift, realizing that a giant space baby is about to be born, and that the energy bursts bombarding both Enterprises are effectively contractions. — Richard Edwards, Space.com, 24 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for bombard

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bombard

Verb

In an interview with Inside Edition on Tuesday, store owner Adam Rubin said that his store has been review-bombed since Clarkson took to social media and named the store, and employees and surrounding businesses have been harassed.

— Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 14 Oct. 2026
The Houthis bombed the corporate HQ of Saudi Aramco in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday, officials said.

— Jim Edwards, Fortune, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of bomb

Verb

But Mark, in Ronson’s telling, quickly grows antagonistic, abruptly asking Ronson to sign an NDA, then later barraging him with suspicious texts and threatening him with a pair of goons.

— Jeremy Gordon, The Atlantic, 14 Sep. 2026
The Weather Channel radar shows Lake County getting barraged with rain.

— Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of barrage

Verb

Protesters, many of whom have been seen carrying Palestinian flags, have set fire to historic buildings and attacked civilians.

— Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 20 Oct. 2026
Electrons can then leak out of the chain, bonding with oxygen in the wrong parts of the mitochondria to form highly reactive free radicals that attack and deform neighboring molecules.

— Rowan Jacobsen, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of attack

Verb

To make way for what will be the third reservoir to serve the canal, an area of more than 11,000 acres that is currently home to schools, churches, farms and cemeteries will have to be flooded and at least 1,600 residents re-homed.

— Hira Humayun, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2026
In the post-George Floyd era, some young adults have been reluctant to become police officers compared to the days when departments were flooded with applications from eager jobseekers.

— Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of flood

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“Bombard.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bombard. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of bombard

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