bombing 1 of 2

noun

as in bombardment

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bombing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of bomb
1
as in flooding
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

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2
as in flying
slang to proceed or move quickly skiers bombing down the slope vied for the coveted gold medal

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in collapsing
to be unsuccessful the chichi restaurant bombed big-time, lasting only six months

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in burying
to defeat by a large margin it's no surprise that the inexperienced baseball team got totally bombed in its first game

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5
as in attacking
to use bombs or artillery against the enemy has bombed the city again

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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 bombing
Noun
The administration did cripple Iran's nuclear program in 2025 with bombing strikes on various facilities, but since this war began, there's been no effective action taken against its nuclear program. — Dana Taylor, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026 The Islamic Republic survived the assassination of its top leaders and weeks of heavy bombing, and found a potent form of leverage in the Strait of Hormuz. — Mark Osborne, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026 In 1994, Detective Joanne Miller, played by Shailene Woodley, attempts to track Kaczynski down as his bombing spree rages. — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026 The trial of a Libyan man linked to the 1988 Lockerbie bombing has been postponed at the 11th hour after new evidence emerged just days before jury selection was due to begin in Washington. — The Week Uk, TheWeek, 27 Aug. 2026 Kaczynski’s first bombing took place in 1978; he was finally found in a cabin in the woods in 1996. — Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 27 Aug. 2026 Despite the taboo, Pan Am spent the 1980s running its own reassurance campaign amid a wave of hijacking and bombing threats against transatlantic flights, insisting on its own safety and security even as the threats mounted. — Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026 Prosecutors allege Al-Marimi and others carried out the bombing at the direction of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, who was ousted and killed during a 2011 civil war. — Michael Kunzelman, Chicago Tribune, 24 Aug. 2026 Some hot spots remained inaccessible to more than 24,000 ground firefighters who were deployed on Sumatra and Borneo, prompting local officials to request additional water-bombing support. — ABC News, 24 Aug. 2026
Verb
The status of its nuclear program, degraded by bombing strikes in 2025, hasn't changed. — Susan Page, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2026 Prabowo vowed the government would continue supporting firefighting operations, including through the deployment of additional water-bombing helicopters and oxygen supplies for firefighters. — ABC News, 24 Aug. 2026 For decades, advocates of bombing Iran argued that such an attack might be messy but would ultimately remove the Iranian threat. — Marc Lynch, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026 In 2003, Libya formally took responsibility for bombing Pan Am 103. — Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 30 July 2026 The meeting came after nearly two weeks of the United States bombing Iran, with Tehran striking back against allies in the region, including a hit on a military base in Jordan that killed three American service members. — Jonathan Lemire, The Atlantic, 28 July 2026 When America and Israel started bombing Iran, our military bombed an elementary school, killing more than 160 children. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 19 July 2026 French officials condemned the damage to the ancient monastery, comparing it to bombing Notre-Dame, while Ukrainian religious leaders called it a crime against humanity. — Mark Temnycky, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026 After bombing out of its home event in Sydney, Slingsby and company dominated the Americas across the past three events in Rio de Janeiro, Bermuda and New York. — Andrew Rice, New York Times, 22 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bombing
  1. bombardment
  2. flooding
  3. flying
  4. collapsing
  5. burying
  6. attacking
  7. assault
  8. bombarding
Noun
  • Surrounding Ain Ebel are the ruins of towns and villages hit by relentless Israeli bombardment, bulldozing and controlled demolitions.
    — Zeena Saifi, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Seeking refuge from constant bombardment, Anna discovers Bianca, her imaginary double, living in a fantastical town imprisoned by a war of its own.
    — Alexandra Patterson, Variety, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of bombardment
Verb
  • The main threat from the storm is flooding rain, with up to 9 inches possible in some areas.
    — Mateo Rosiles, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Hurricane Milton, the second of which, tore all the Teflon panels off the Trop’s roof flooding the inside of the facility.
    — Barry M. Bloom, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of flooding
Verb
  • Grichuk put a good swing on a slider while flying out to left field.
    — LaMond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2026
  • It was later revealed that the plane had been overloaded by 700 pounds and the pilot, who had cocaine and alcohol in his system, was not authorized to be flying, according to CBS.
    — Liza Esquibias, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of flying
Verb
  • Summary Volkswagen's unique governance, long prioritizing workers and unions over shareholders, is now unsustainable amid collapsing profits, especially from China, and fierce competition from Chinese EVs.
    — Neil Winton, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
  • After winning historic Latino support in 2024, Trump now faces collapsing approval as mass deportations, economic stagnation and inflammatory messaging like the bus graphic threaten GOP fortunes in the 2026 midterms.
    — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of collapsing
Verb
  • In one southern Nepali district — Chitwan — authorities will resort to burying hundreds of unidentified bodies in a mass grave, local police told CNN.
    — Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2026
  • The flooding inundated areas along the Trishuli River, burying some buildings and damaging bridges and roadways.
    — Jon Haworth, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of burying
Verb
  • Generally, these hunters do not start attacking cells unless there is a reason to do so, such as inflammation, a key marker of infection.
    — Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026
  • For example, Way of the Sword rewards defensive play in the form of Issen, powerful counterattacks that are triggered by attacking before an enemy strikes.
    — Zackery Cuevas, PC Magazine, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of attacking
Noun
  • After his discharge, he was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon.
    — Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The Hurtados have continued to experience emotional distress from the assault and its aftermath, according to the lawsuit.
    — Amber Gaudet, Charlotte Observer, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of assault
Verb
  • Second, tritium does not occur naturally in meaningful quantities, meaning reactors must breed their own fuel by bombarding lithium-bearing blankets with neutrons.
    — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Data centers are shifting from the training of AI models — a stage that involves bombarding them with data — to a phase known as inference.
    — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of bombarding

Browse Nearby Words

bombers
bombing
bombings
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Cite this Entry

“Bombing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bombing. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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