bomb1 nounbomb2 verb
bombbomb1 /bɒm $ bɑːm/ ●●● S3 W3 noun [countable] 
WORD ORIGINbomb1
Origin:
1600-1700 French bombe, from Italian bomba, probably from Latin bombus ‘deep sound’, from Greek bombos, from the soundEXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- A bomb exploded near the country's busiest airport before dawn today.
- a flea bomb
- Billy Joe Tolliver threw a 44-yard bomb into the end zone.
- Morrow was convicted in 1998 of sending four letter bombs to government officials.
- The bomb exploded on a bus in Jerusalem during the city's morning rush hour.
- The protesters were armed with rocks and petrol bombs.
- Another bomb blast was reported on a railway line outside Cape Town.
- Conservative Central Office has ordered special security screening measures to prevent firearms or bombs being smuggled into the £3m pavilion.
- Her shocked and sobbing face epitomised the terror that the bombs had brought to thousands of innocent city centre workers and shoppers.
- I heard new vocabulary: nuclear bomb, radioactive fallout, bomb shelter.
- Peggy ScottAdams's provocative ballad is hitting radio audiences like an emotional bomb.
- The brunette gift wrapped a bomb and handed it to grateful squaddies on point duty in Northern Ireland.
- Their bomb load was so great and dangerous that the slightest error would have been suicidal.
- They must have had their faces upturned when the bomb went off; perhaps they were anti-aircraft personnel.
THESAURUS
a weapon that explodes: · The bomb exploded on a bus in Jerusalem during the city’s morning rush hour.· Fifty-five people were injured in a car bomb attack in Baghdad.· Morrow was convicted in 1998 of sending four letter bombs (=a small bomb hidden in a package and sent to someone in order to hurt or kill them) to government officials.· People were worried that terrorists would try to detonate a dirty bomb (=a bomb that contains nuclear materials)in the city centre.
bombs or substances that can cause explosions: · They used explosives to blow the door off the front of the building.· The car was packed with 1,000 lbs of high explosives (=powerful explosives).
a bomb – used especially in news reports: · Police found the device hidden in a suitcase.· A bomb threat was received and the building was evacuated, but no device was found.
a bomb that has been made using whatever materials are available, especially one used to blow up soldiers travelling through a place. IED is short for ‘improvised explosive device’: · Several soldiers were killed when an IED exploded as their convoy drove by.
a type of bomb that is hidden just below the ground or under water, and that explodes when it is touched: · The fields are still full of landmines.· The ship struck a mine and sank.
(also hand grenade) a small bomb that can be thrown by hand or fired from a special gun: · He pulled the pin and threw a grenade toward the enemy’s position.
Longman Language Activatorextremely expensive especially spoken, informal if something costs a fortune , it is very expensive: · What a beautiful car - it must have cost a fortune.cost somebody a fortune: · We had to eat out every night - it ended up costing us a fortune.cost a fortune to do something: · It'll cost a fortune to get that old car of his repaired.cost an absolute fortune: · The hotel was great, but it cost an absolute fortune.
British informal to be very expensive: · I can't imagine how she affords to send her kids to that school - it must cost a bomb.· Good shoes needn't cost the earth.cost somebody a bomb/the earth: · The divorce cost me a bomb.
a price or cost that is astronomical is extremely high: · The painting was sold for an astronomical price.· Tuition at private universities has become astronomical.
spoken to be very expensive: · That carpet must have cost an arm and a leg.cost somebody an arm and a leg: · Getting good health insurance these days costs an arm and a leg.
an exploding weapon a weapon that explodes: · The bomb exploded on a bus in Jerusalem during the city's morning rush hour.· The protesters were armed with rocks and petrol bombs.letter bomb (=a small bomb hidden in a package and sent to someone in order to hurt or kill them): · Morrow was convicted in 1998 of sending four letter bombs to government officials.
especially British a bomb - used especially in news reports: · Police found the device hidden in a suitcase.· Four of the victims received serious injuries when the device ripped through one of the station's lavatories.
bombs or substances that can cause explosions: · The bomb, containing 150 grams of explosives, was placed outside the house shortly before 1 am.· Traces of explosives were found on the clothing of the three men accused of the bombing.· a bomb packed with 1,000 lbs of explosives
a large amount of money a large amount of money: · The painting was sold for £20,000 in 1926, which was a lot of money in those days.spend/pay/make a lot of money: · I don't want to spend a lot of money on holiday.· I'd pay her a lot of money to organize my life for me.· Do you make a lot of money doing this?cost a lot of money (=to be expensive): · That hi-fi looks as though it cost a lot of money.· It'll cost a lot of money to have the roof fixed.be worth a lot of money: · These will be worth a lot of money in 50 years' time or so.have a lot of money: · They don't have a lot of money, but they live comfortably.be a lot of money for something (=used to emphasize how expensive something is): · Two hundred and fifty dollars is a lot of money just for a new carpet. a whole lot of money American spoken (=used to emphasize how large an amount is): · They wanted to charge me a whole lot of money just to change my car insurance.
informal a lot of money: · I thought you were going to tell me you'd won a fortune!cost (somebody) a fortune: · The lighting effects alone must have cost a fortune.· It costs an absolute fortune to park in town these days, you know.· You're costing me a fortune in coffee!make/spend/pay a fortune: · I paid a fortune for this car, and I've had nothing but trouble with it.· Walter made a fortune with his first book.be worth a fortune: · That house must be worth a fortune!a small fortune (=used to emphasize that the amount of money was surprising or unexpected): · She earned a small fortune selling antique furniture, and retired when she was 45.
British informal a very large amount of money: cost (somebody) a bomb: · It was lovely and I wanted it -- the only problem was, it cost a bomb.make/earn etc a bomb: · He's been earning a bomb repairing computers at home for people.· You won't make a bomb, but it's worth doing.be worth a bomb: · The house is worth a bomb at today's prices.
informal a large amount of money, especially money that is earned or paid in business: · He's hoping there's big money in this new business.· I'm making big money these days.· The investors are talking big money. At least $100,000.
to put something somewhere to move something to a place or position and leave it there: put something in/on/there etc: · Just put the bags on the table.· I can't remember where I put my keys.put something back (=put it in the place where it was before or where it should be): · I put the letter back in the envelope.put something away (=put it where it is usually kept): · It's time to put everything away now.put something down/put down something (=put something you are holding onto a surface): · She picked up a porcelain figurine and put it down again. put something up/put up something (=fasten something to a wall, ceiling, or in a high position): · I'm not allowed to put up any posters in my bedroom.
to carefully put something somewhere: place something on/in/over/there etc: · Every week someone comes and places fresh flowers on her grave.· Place some lemon slices on the fish before serving it.· Food is placed in a large cage, and when the animal enters, the door drops down.· Winters placed his hand on my arm, holding me back.
to put something in a place and not take it with you when you go: · Now, where did I leave my gym shoes?leave something in/on/on top of etc: · Just leave your umbrellas and things behind the door.· She had left all her personal belongings in the London apartment.leave something somewhere: · I'm sure I left my bag somewhere around here.
to put someone or something somewhere and never go back to get them, for example because you want to get rid of them or because you are unable to take them with you: · Retreating troops were told to abandon their weapons and run as fast as they could towards the beach.· A new-born baby was found abandoned on the steps of a hospital yesterday.
to carefully move something into the right position for a particular purpose: · Make sure you position the wheel correctly before you tighten up the nuts.· Federal troops were positioned around the city.
to put a bomb in a public place : plant something in/at/outside/nearby etc: · The two men planted the bomb outside Harrods department store in London.plant something in/on/there etc: · No rebel group has claimed responsibility for planting the explosives in the van.
to put something in someone's pocket, room, car etc in order to make them seem guilty of a crime: · It turned out the security services had planted the documents in his luggage.· He accused the police of planting evidence.
to put something on a surface, especially so that it is flat: lay something on/across something: · She unfolded the map and laid it on the table.lay something out/lay out something (=arrange something carefully on a surface): · Before you start packing, lay out all the clothes on the bed.lay something down/lay down something (=put something you are holding onto a surface): · Farley laid the gun down and surrendered.
to put down something big and heavy which you have been carrying - used especially in literature or stories: set something/it/them down: · They set the coffin down in front of the altar.set down something: · The movers brought in the dresser, which they set down against the wall.
to put something down - used especially when describing events in a formal or humorous way: · Aunt Augusta deposited the contents of her bag on the kitchen table.· After the lessons on the environment, children deposited much more litter in trash cans, rather than dropping it.
WORD SETSair rifle, nounair-to-air, adjectiveammo, nounammunition, nounanti-aircraft, adjectiveanti-personnel, adjectiveanti-tank, adjectivearmament, nounarmoured car, nounarmourer, nounarmour-plated, adjectivearrow, nounarrowhead, nounarsenal, nounartillery, nounatomic bomb, nounautomatic, nounballistic missile, nounballistics, nounbandolier, nounbarbed, adjectivebarrage, nounbarrage balloon, nounbarrel, nounbattering ram, nounbattery, nounbayonet, nounbayonet, verbbazooka, nounBB gun, nounblank, nounblaze, verbblowpipe, nounbludgeon, nounblunderbuss, nounbolt, nounbomb, nounbomber, nounbombing, nounbomb scare, nounbooby trap, nounboom, nounbore, nounbow, nounbrass knuckles, nounbroadsword, nounbuckshot, nounbullet, nounbullet-proof, adjectivebutt, nouncaisson, nouncalibre, nouncanister, nouncannon, nouncannonball, nouncarbine, nouncartridge, nouncatapult, nounchain mail, nounchamber, nouncharge, verbchemical warfare, nounchemical weapon, nounclip, nouncluster bomb, nouncock, verbColt, conventional, adjectivecordite, nouncosh, nouncrossbow, nouncruise missile, nounCS gas, nouncudgel, nouncutlass, nouncut-throat razor, noundagger, noundart, noundecommission, verbdetonator, noundevice, noundirk, noundisarm, verbdischarge, verbdismount, verbdouble-barrelled, duel, nounduel, verbdum-dum, nounelevation, nounemplacement, nounequalizer, nounfirearm, nounfirebomb, nounflak, nounflame thrower, nounflick knife, nounforty-five, nounfusillade, nounfusion bomb, noungauge, noungerm warfare, noungrenade, nounguidance, nounguided missile, noungun, noungun carriage, noungunner, noungunnery, noungunpowder, noungun-running, noungunshot, nounhaft, nounhair trigger, nounhalberd, nounhammer, nounhand grenade, nounhandgun, nounH-bomb, nounheat-seeking, adjectiveheavy, adjectivehilt, nounholster, nounhoming device, nounhowitzer, nounhydrogen bomb, nounICBM, nounincendiary, adjectiveKalashnikov, nounknuckle-duster, nounlance, nounlandmine, nounlive, adjectivelongbow, nounlong-range, adjectivemace, nounmachete, nounmachine gun, nounmagazine, nounmagnum, nounmarksman, nounmarksmanship, nounmegaton, nounmisfire, verbmissile, nounmortar, nounmunitions, nounmushroom cloud, nounmusket, nounmustard gas, nounmuzzle, nounnapalm, nounnerve gas, nounnightstick, nounnitroglycerine, nounnon-proliferation, nounnosecone, nounnuclear, adjectivenuke, verbnuke, nounordnance, nounparry, verbpayload, nounpepper, verbpike, nounpistol, nounplastic explosive, noun.22, nounpoison gas, nounpommel, nounpound, verbprime, verbprimer, nounprojectile, nounpropellant, nounquarterstaff, nounramrod, nounrange, nounrapid-fire, adjectiverapier, nounrearm, verbrecoil, verbrepeater, nounreport, nounrevolver, nounrifle, nounrocket, nounround, nounrubber bullet, nounsabre, nounsafety catch, nounsawn-off shotgun, nounscabbard, nounscimitar, nounsemi-automatic, adjectiveshaft, nounsheathe, verbshell, nounshell, verbshield, nounshooter, nounshot, nounshotgun, nounshrapnel, nounsidearm, nounsight, nounsilencer, nounsilo, nounsix-shooter, nounslash, nounsling, nounslingshot, nounslug, nounsmart bomb, nounsmoke bomb, nounsmokescreen, nounsnipe, verbsniper, nounspear, nounspear, verbSten gun, nounstockpile, nounstockpile, verbstun gun, nounsubmachine gun, nounsurface-to-air missile, nounsurface-to-surface missile, nounswordsmanship, nountank, nountear gas, nounthermonuclear, adjectivetime bomb, nountommy gun, nountorpedo, nountorpedo, verbtracer, nountrident, nountrigger, nountruncheon, noununload, verbvolley, nounvolley, verbwarhead, nounwater cannon, nounweapon, nounweaponry, noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRYverbs
a full-scale flood alert A bomb blast completely destroyed the building. The device, which contained 400lbs of explosive, was made safe by army bomb disposal experts. a bomb hoax The explosion seems to have been caused by an incendiary device. terrorists responsible for indiscriminate killing a five megaton atomic bomb the threat of nuclear attack concern about the country’s nuclear weapons program a bomb scare
· Forty people were injured when the bomb exploded.· A 200 pound bomb went off in the car park.
(also detonate a bomb formal) (=make a bomb explode)· The area was cleared and the police safely detonated the bomb.
(=from a plane)· Government forces began dropping bombs on rebel positions.
· A bomb fell on the cathedral during the war.
(=put a bomb somewhere)· It is thought that right-wing extremists planted the bomb.
ADJECTIVES/NOUN + bomb· The North Koreans were developing a nuclear bomb.
· Oppenheimer was the father of the atomic bomb.
(=that kills people but does not damage buildings much)
(=that makes a car explode)· The car bomb killed 21 shoppers.
(also a parcel bomb British English) (=sent in a letter or parcel)· A second letter bomb was found among the unopened mail.
(=that is set to explode at a particular time)· The terrorists’ time bomb was planned to cause the maximum carnage.
British English (=containing petrol)· A petrol bomb was hurled at police as they chased the car.
(=containing nails)
(=that sends out smaller bombs when it explodes)
(=that spreads radioactive material)
(=that is guided to the right place)
· The aircraft was blown apart by a terrorist bomb.
(=the person carrying the bomb dies when it explodes)· Each time there is a suicide bomb it is a new blow to peace.
· Officers discovered several homemade bombs in the trunk of his car.
· The workmen found an unexploded bomb.
bomb + NOUN· The restaurant was destroyed in a massive bomb blast.
· No one has yet claimed responsibility for the bomb attack.
(=when someone leaves a message saying there is a bomb somewhere)· He delayed his flight home because of a bomb threat.
(=when people think there might be a bomb somewhere)· The building was evacuated after a bomb scare.
(=the job of dealing with bombs that have not exploded)· a bomb disposal expert
· Police found guns and bomb-making equipment in the house.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES a full-scale flood alert (=usually intended to achieve a political aim)· Animal rights activists are believed to have carried out the bomb attack.
(=an attack from a plane using bombs)· Malta was under heavy air attack.
A bomb blast completely destroyed the building. The device, which contained 400lbs of explosive, was made safe by army bomb disposal experts. (=a bomb hidden in or under a car)· A car bomb exploded killing 33 people.
British English (=have a very high price)· He has a new sports car that must have cost a bomb.
· The building was destroyed by fire in 2004.
(=getting rid of bombs before they explode)· The building was evacuated and a bomb disposal team moved in.
a bomb hoax The explosion seems to have been caused by an incendiary device. terrorists responsible for indiscriminate killing a five megaton atomic bomb the threat of nuclear attack concern about the country’s nuclear weapons program· Bombing raids had destroyed most of the country's oil refineries.
a bomb scare (=where a bomb has exploded)· the bomb sites of war-torn London
· More than 50 people were injured in the terrorist attack.
· The station was closed because of a bomb threat.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE· He had led the team that developed the Soviet Union's atomic bomb and had begun seeking peaceful applications of nuclear power.· He was a spy for the Soviets in Los Alamos, during the atomic bomb project.· Much controversy has surrounded Truman's decision to use the atomic bomb.· On September 23, 1949, Truman declared that the Soviets had detonated an atomic bomb.· A star marks the epicentre of the atomic bomb dropped in 1945.· The United States might have created the atomic bomb in hundreds of different ways.· He was, for example, totally ignorant of the atomic bomb project.· The final decision of where and when to use the atomic bomb was up to me.
· Police had already thwarted attempts to bring two huge van bombs to Madrid, and to detonate a car bomb in Bilbao.
· There were high-explosive and incendiary bombs of various types available, but no combination weapon.· We had two incendiary bombs, but they were in the canteen.
· Physics may tell us how to build a nuclear bomb but not whether it should be built.· I heard new vocabulary: nuclear bomb, radioactive fallout, bomb shelter.· That is enough to make between 10 and 20 nuclear bombs.· Mere nuclear bombs would do little to halt life in general, and might, in fact, increase the nonhuman versions.· Cunningham said that the United States has lost considerable bomb-making skills in the eight years since it stopped making nuclear bombs.· The first would use the same radar and missiles, but would replace the interceptor with a nuclear bomb.· Systems for delivering nuclear bombs to distant targets, however, are very difficult and expensive to produce.· Hussein used the money to accelerate his program to build a nuclear bomb.
· Johnny Cooper thought it almost impossible that three men carrying only sixty small bombs between them had created such havoc and destruction.· Pure fusion bombs might be much smaller than existing bombs.· We could detonate a very small atom bomb in the vicinity of another.· Even a charge of conventional explosive in the vicinity of a small atom bomb would suffice.· If the small atom bomb went up, so then would the hydrogen bomb.· Urban violence and civil unrest were mushrooming like small bombs threatening to blow up the machine from within.· I'd placed six smaller bombs, and had them all lit in forty seconds.· He spent some time expressing his preference, for tactical reasons, for smaller neutron bombs before developing his argument.
· Armed with plasma guns and smart bombs, they have a three-pronged mission.· Our people are much smarter than our bombs ever can be.· It was used in the Persian Gulf war to target smart bombs and guide tanks across the desert.
· With its aid, two unexploded mortar bombs are located.· Their wastes include solvents, fuels, mine tailings, radioactive wastes, and unexploded bombs and shells.· And two unexploded bombs in the Mile End Road.· Mr Aston told the court that the oil tank was like a large unexploded bomb.· Much was seized for food by a starving population, and much became the casualty of unexploded mines and bombs.
NOUN· We could detonate a very small atom bomb in the vicinity of another.· A fart is not an atom bomb....· Even a charge of conventional explosive in the vicinity of a small atom bomb would suffice.· If the small atom bomb went up, so then would the hydrogen bomb.· Teller, of course, worked on the atom bomb and the H-bomb.· Britain has already accumulated enough nuclear waste to build 5,000 atom bombs.· Then war intervened, Oppenheimer became involved in the atom bomb project, and he lost interest in gravitational collapse.
· Soldier dies after Armagh bomb A soldier has died after a triple bomb attack in Northern Ireland.· In a weekend of violence, the defence minister, Khaled Nezzar, narrowly escaped from a car bomb attack.· Cars were set on fire and a bomb attack was made against the mayor's car with his family inside.· All four were acquitted of involvement in a bomb attack in Stockholm on April 7, 1986.· Another suspected drug handler was fatally injured in a car bomb attack in Bilbao on Jan. 9.· From June 1944 the flying bomb attacks were less concentrated spatially, but even more destructive.
· Then a bomb blast devastated the theatre and wiped away her smile of anticipation.· This, investigators say, links him to the truck bomb blast.· Tuesday's mortar bomb blast left him with three chunks of shrapnel in his abdomen.· They've always taken a special interest in Sefton because of the bomb blast.· Sefton was badly injured in the bomb blast in Hyde Park in nineteen eighty-two, but survived.· The bomb blast fractured the ventilating system and spewed dust particles along the system throughout the hospital.· Another bomb blast was reported on a railway line outside Cape Town.· The bomb blasts in Moscow last August remain unsolved.
· The commando had been planning a car bomb attack in Seville during its April fair.· Carl Krebsbach wore it out when he sent away for $ 20 worth of car bombs.· Suddenly the phone rings: a suspect car bomb in the city centre.· And a car bomb near a Medellin shopping mall injured 50.· In a weekend of violence, the defence minister, Khaled Nezzar, narrowly escaped from a car bomb attack.· A car bomb shook Madrid's Barajas airport.· Up to 13 bombs went off across the city, many of them car bombs.
· By now, the police were chasing protesters into various neighbourhoods, and throwing cluster bombs of rubber pellets at locals.· It will also strongly criticise the use of cluster bombs.· The planes were reported to have used cluster bombs and also to have strafed roads and buildings.· The MoD had to spend £20m upgrading and ordering extra stocks of the cluster bombs for the Kosovo campaign.
· It could take half an hour for a bomb disposal team to get to Royalbion House.· One of the devices went off before bomb disposal squads arrived.· The device went off at 12.30am as bomb disposal men were about to carry out a remote-controlled explosion with a robot.· The bomb disposal unit destroyed the bomb with a controlled explosion.· Approval will also be given to supply bomb disposal equipment and goods for civilian end-users.· The most advanced bomb disposal centre in the world has been officially opened by the Duke of Kent.· The army's bomb disposal experts say the lesson is simple ... report anything suspicious, especially in the run up to Christmas.· Army bomb disposal experts from Catterick military base in north Yorkshire are examining debris from both devices.
· Mr. Bowis My right hon. and learned Friend will recall the bomb explosion a month ago on the track in my constituency.· For comparison, the atomic bomb explosions that devastated Hiroshima and Nagasaki were about 20 kilotons each.· A bomb explosion aboard a ferry south of Trincomalee on Sept. 10 killed 24 soldiers and 15 civilians.· The heat released in this reaction, which is like a controlled hydrogen bomb explosion, is what makes the star shine.· Three people were reported killed and three injured in bomb explosions in the capital Santo Domingo on Sept. 23.· The bomb explosion during the 1996 Atlanta Olympics seems to have been pivotal.· In Johannesburg two men died in overnight bomb explosions at the city's main railway station.· On Aug. 22 Abdullah stated that there had been 170 bomb explosions in the state in the previous 12 months.
· Note the offence of making a bomb hoax call etc. under section 51 Criminal Law Act 1977.
· The large scale release of fusion energy has so far occurred only in stars and in the hydrogen bomb.· On 12 July 1953, when the Soviet Union exploded its first hydrogen bomb, equilibrium was restored.· Might it not be the equivalent of a small hydrogen bomb?· The main source of helium-3 is in fact hydrogen bomb recycling!· The heat released in this reaction, which is like a controlled hydrogen bomb explosion, is what makes the star shine.· The largest accessible source of helium-3 on Earth is from the decay of tritium in hydrogen bombs.· In spite of the situation we find ourselves in, maybe hydrogen bombs aren't the biggest cause for concern.· The Soviet Union tested its own hydrogen bomb within a year, and the nuclear arms race escalated further.
· Hunt alert: Huntsmen in Northern Ireland have been alerted by police after letter bombs were sent to two hunt members.· It emerged yesterday that all three letter bombs were contained in Jiffy bags and were of similar construction.· Earlier Monday morning, a letter bomb exploded in the London offices of Al-Hayat, injuring two mail clerks.· Two letter bombs, in 1961 and 1980, cost Brunner the use of an eye and the fingers of one hand.· He says the letter bombs could have injured any of the people who handled them on their way to their targets.· In a search of the offices, police found a second letter bomb among the unopened mail.
· With its aid, two unexploded mortar bombs are located.· After some ti me the job is completed and the two mortar bombs have been neutralised.· Suddenly there was the unmistakable swish of a mortar bomb, then the explosion a few yards away.· Tuesday's mortar bomb blast left him with three chunks of shrapnel in his abdomen.· From their position in the hills, the forces lobbed three mortar bombs into the crowded streets.· Two were hit by shrapnel from a mortar bomb at the weekend.· The other two had been trying to rescue him when all three had been killed by a single well-placed mortar bomb.· Several other mortar bombs have been thrown out into the darkness.
· He would leave the packet open so that the desk sergeant saw they were not getting a parcel bomb.
· Last summer saw violence at Blackbird Leys as things came to a head ... with petrol bombs and bricks.· Home Office Ministers fiddled while tyres and a few petrol bombs burned.· The raiders burst into the dining-room and rolled hand grenades along the floor as a petrol bomb was launched outside.· A number of petrol bombs exploded harmlessly between the protesters and the security forces.· Another Epworth resident was burned alive a few days earlier when a petrol bomb was thrown into his home.· The police used armoured vehicles and tear gas to contain the protesters who were armed with rocks and petrol bombs.· Violence continued into the following afternoon and evening; petrol bombs were thrown and shops looted.
· Police were also seeking a motive for an attempted pipe bomb attack on a house in Ballymoney, Co Antrim.· The pipe bombs, on early evidence, appeared to be fairly crude.· Black powder was used in the pipe bomb that caused the explosion, Daschle said.· They left behind pipe bombs as their calling cards, although no one was ever injured.· Police Minister Avigdor Kahalani said the explosives were pipe bombs packed with nails.· In San Diego, all three devices, which shared some similarities, were pipe bombs delivered by mail.· The park has been closed since early Saturday, when the pipe bomb exploded during a free concert.· A pipe bomb hidden in a black backpack explodes in a park filled with people, injuring scores with shards of shrapnel.
· She says that they were told that it was a bomb scare.· No, not the usual boring bomb scare, but a cultural occasion of enormous significance.· The previous day also the factory was evacuated after a bomb scare.· Cross-channel ferries held up by a bomb scare ....· Apparently there had been a bomb scare recently.· Following the find, the centre was evacuated again because of a bomb scare which police believe was a hoax.
· Feb. 13 At least 300 civilians killed in allied attack on Baghdad bomb shelter.· The only thing less suited to the big screen would be a movie set in a bomb shelter.· Until church members complete a sewer system, they have been forbidden to use their newly hewn bomb shelters.· They even went down to the basement bomb shelter and shook pillows.· Every church compound has a bomb shelter.· Bennett persuades his family to build a bomb shelter.· The idea of turning the most historic room in the nation into a bomb shelter struck me as in exceedingly bad taste.· Residents remained in the bomb shelters Saturday.
· Sophie's room is a bomb site.· Ruptured gas lines resulted in fires that gutted entire communities of wooden houses, leaving behind smoldering embers resembling a bomb site.· There were bomb sites around and a lot of it looked like something out of the Ealing comedies.· The memorial at the bomb site featured mournful bagpipes played Amazing Grace after Marine Capt.· Trains were running, albeit a rather cautiously past the bomb site.· Similar disasters are scattered piecemeal all over Britain, on bomb sites and over the slums they were built to clear.· He looked at the bomb site.
· The police had sealed off only part of the city centre while the bomb squad investigated.· All of the bombs were removed and disabled by the New York Police Department bomb squad before they exploded.· The way Max's biological clock is ticking, it's a wonder Emma didn't call out the bomb squad.· The bomb squad also was summoned to examine one other package that proved to be harmless.· KINETON/Warwickshire Time allowed 02:24 It's a training exercise ... but for the bomb squad this scenario is disturbingly real.· In each instance, the explosives were removed by a New York police bomb squad to a basement.· The device, discovered inside a Ford Transit van, was made safe after controlled explosions carried out by bomb squad officers.· The bomb squad took the device to the basement and disarmed it by inundating it with a water cannon.
· This development follows the first suicide bomb attack for two years.· Each time there is a suicide bomb or attack we should point a finger at ourselves?
· Pervez Musharraf, delayed his flight home because of a bomb threat.· More than 50, 000 people carrying free foam-rubber tomahawks evacuated the stadium as if there had been a bomb threat.· Many passengers switch flight after bomb threat.· Last Thursday, campus officials received a bomb threat that was sent over the university e-mail system.· Schools cancelled extracurricular activities, and many parents took their children out of classes after word of the bomb threat spread.· Last Monday, a bomb threat against the county courthouse was delivered by telephone.· It belongs to the man who called in the bomb threat 18 minutes before it detonated.
· These factors have created a demographic time bomb. 2.· Was it some psychic time bomb long ago planted on Ludlow Street?· Our baby is a bomb, too: a time bomb.· The man is clearly a walking time bomb.· Her footsteps and the faint noise of her limbs striking one another as she walked sounded like the mechanism of a time bomb.· I felt like a walking time bomb, set to detonate in sixty minutes.· It is a time bomb waiting to explode.· The Senate version of the bill contained a time bomb, however.
VERB· Kaczynski sought to build increasingly lethal bombs by improving his bomb design and his bomb-making techniques.· In retrospect, the decision to build the bomb was fraught with agonizing ambiguities.· Physics may tell us how to build a nuclear bomb but not whether it should be built.· That amount of plutonium was enough to build a couple of bombs like the ones we dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.· Britain has already accumulated enough nuclear waste to build 5,000 atom bombs.· Inevitably, the scientists used some of the same ingenuity they brought to building the bomb to improving their high-desert outpost.· In any case, they argue that if a country really wants to build its own bomb it will do so.· Bennett persuades his family to build a bomb shelter.
· Police evacuated nearby buildings and cordoned off the area while they defused the bomb.· Some economists say that declining population growth rates have defused the population bomb.
· The bomb disposal unit destroyed the bomb with a controlled explosion.· Although their car and many of their belongings were destroyed by the bomb, they said they would continue their honeymoon.· Janet Seligman's parental home was partly destroyed by a bomb, and Rita May's damaged.
· Police had already thwarted attempts to bring two huge van bombs to Madrid, and to detonate a car bomb in Bilbao.· On September 23, 1949, Truman declared that the Soviets had detonated an atomic bomb.
· They dropped ninety-three bombs and caused casualties and damage at a rate Paris had not experienced before.· Sixteen billion gallons of water dropped like a bomb on the town below.· I was a crew member of the Enola Gay, the B29 that dropped a bomb on Hiroshima.· Can you imagine what would happen if they dropped a bomb on the Suq al-Sabat?· We asked who led the Lancasters into action when they dropped their bouncing bombs.· It tells of homes set aflame, planes dropping turpentine bombs and the wanton shooting of unarmed black men on the street.· They come in at treetop level and drop these bombs.
· What makes him do that is his belief that the man is about to explode a bomb.· On 12 July 1953, when the Soviet Union exploded its first hydrogen bomb, equilibrium was restored.· All of the bombs were removed and disabled by the New York Police Department bomb squad before they exploded.
· At least two people were injured by the letter bombs.· Sefton was badly injured in the bomb blast in Hyde Park in nineteen eighty-two, but survived.· Three people were reported killed and three injured in bomb explosions in the capital Santo Domingo on Sept. 23.· Another suspected drug handler was fatally injured in a car bomb attack in Bilbao on Jan. 9.· At least 10 people were killed and 150 injured in bomb attacks last month.
· But three - and the Czech liberal was killed by a bomb - is too much.· Gen. Khan Aqa, deputy head of state security, was killed by a car bomb in Kabul on Nov. 3.· Around 12 people were killed when a car bomb exploded outside a police station in the Chechen capital, Grozny.
· Javier Mugica Astibia, a town councillor in Navarra, by placing a bomb under his van.· Why should they be involved in a case where the charges are placing and sending bombs?· I'd placed six smaller bombs, and had them all lit in forty seconds.· They simply wandered around in the dark, placing their bombs on the parked aircraft until they ran out of them.· They placed bombs on two isolated aircraft and then headed for the hangars where they expected to find some worthwhile booty.
· He wanted to plant a bomb in the middle of the busy market, but he was a day early.· They allegedly delivered the explosives to Ali Chanaa, who was supposed to plant the bomb.· He did five himself in Long Kesh in the early seventies for planting a bomb.· Nobody even knows who is planting the bombs or why.· The Crown claim that all three were on their way to plant the bomb under a car.· You'd never have thought anyone would plant a bomb there.· Richard Jewell was the security guard accused by the media of planting the bomb that exploded in the city.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY► drop the c-bomb/f-bomb► cost a bombPHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► dirty bomb► saturation bombing
1weapon a weapon made of material that will explode: - But it would still make a bomb that could flatten much of a city and drench the place with fall-out.
- Dancer's fixed up for me to make a bomb coaching movie stars in Palm Springs.
- How do we do that without spreading too widely the ability to make bombs?
- Last week Kaczynski was arrested in his remote Montana cabin on a lone charge of possessing materials to make a bomb.
- Newly made bombs would replace old, and now obsolete, weapons in the stockpile.
- Note the offence of making a bomb hoax call etc. under section 51 Criminal Law Act 1977.
- Some people object to children having access to information about illegal drug use and recipes for making bombs.
- I am concluding that these are the bomb babies of Tod Friendly's dreams.
- In the distance are the bombed buildings of the village.
- The first item on the news was the bomb.
- Was the bombing a larger plot?
- We got in there, and the first thing we noticed were the bomb craters.
- What if the government decided to use the bomb?
- Police discovered that a bomb had been planted in the bus station.
- He did five himself in Long Kesh in the early seventies for planting a bomb.
- He wanted to plant a bomb in the middle of the busy market, but he was a day early.
- Suspected rebels last week planted a bomb outside the prime minister's home, although no one was injured in the blast.
- You'd never have thought anyone would plant a bomb there.
- As Delbert saw it, they went on suicide missions, which was just the kind of action he wanted.
- His suicide mission came as a surprise to more people than just his family.
- The powers-that-be decide to send you on a suicide mission - nice peeps, aren't they?
The bomb went off at 9.30 in the morning. Enemy planes dropped over 200 bombs during the raid. He was killed in a bomb explosion. → smoke bomb, stink bomb2bad performance/event American English informal a play, film, event etc that is not successful: This is just another one of Hollywood’s bland and boring bombs.3be the bomb informal to be very good or exciting: That new P Diddy CD is the bomb.4the bomb used to describe nuclear weapons, and especially the hydrogen bomb: Voices of dissent began to rise against the bomb.5cost a bomb British English informal to cost a lot of money6make a bomb British English informal to get a lot of money by doing something7drop the c-bomb/f-bomb informal to say a very rude word beginning with C or FCOLLOCATIONSverbsa bomb explodes/goes off· Forty people were injured when the bomb exploded.· A 200 pound bomb went off in the car park.set off a bomb (also detonate a bomb formal) (=make a bomb explode)· The area was cleared and the police safely detonated the bomb.drop a bomb (=from a plane)· Government forces began dropping bombs on rebel positions.a bomb falls on something· A bomb fell on the cathedral during the war.plant a bomb (=put a bomb somewhere)· It is thought that right-wing extremists planted the bomb.ADJECTIVES/NOUN + bomba nuclear/hydrogen bomb· The North Koreans were developing a nuclear bomb.an atom/atomic bomb· Oppenheimer was the father of the atomic bomb.a neutron bomb (=that kills people but does not damage buildings much)a car bomb (=that makes a car explode)· The car bomb killed 21 shoppers.a letter bomb (also a parcel bomb British English) (=sent in a letter or parcel)· A second letter bomb was found among the unopened mail.a time bomb (=that is set to explode at a particular time)· The terrorists’ time bomb was planned to cause the maximum carnage.a petrol bomb British English (=containing petrol)· A petrol bomb was hurled at police as they chased the car.a nail bomb (=containing nails)a cluster bomb (=that sends out smaller bombs when it explodes)a dirty bomb (=that spreads radioactive material)a smart bomb (=that is guided to the right place)a terrorist bomb· The aircraft was blown apart by a terrorist bomb.a suicide bomb (=the person carrying the bomb dies when it explodes)· Each time there is a suicide bomb it is a new blow to peace.a homemade bomb· Officers discovered several homemade bombs in the trunk of his car.an unexploded bomb· The workmen found an unexploded bomb.bomb + NOUNa bomb blast/explosion· The restaurant was destroyed in a massive bomb blast.a bomb attack· No one has yet claimed responsibility for the bomb attack.a bomb threat (=when someone leaves a message saying there is a bomb somewhere)· He delayed his flight home because of a bomb threat.a bomb scare (=when people think there might be a bomb somewhere)· The building was evacuated after a bomb scare.bomb disposal (=the job of dealing with bombs that have not exploded)· a bomb disposal expertbomb-making equipment· Police found guns and bomb-making equipment in the house.THESAURUSbomb a weapon that explodes: · The bomb exploded on a bus in Jerusalem during the city’s morning rush hour.· Fifty-five people were injured in a car bomb attack in Baghdad.· Morrow was convicted in 1998 of sending four letter bombs (=a small bomb hidden in a package and sent to someone in order to hurt or kill them) to government officials.· People were worried that terrorists would try to detonate a dirty bomb (=a bomb that contains nuclear materials)in the city centre.explosives bombs or substances that can cause explosions: · They used explosives to blow the door off the front of the building.· The car was packed with 1,000 lbs of high explosives (=powerful explosives).device a bomb – used especially in news reports: · Police found the device hidden in a suitcase.· A bomb threat was received and the building was evacuated, but no device was found.IED a bomb that has been made using whatever materials are available, especially one used to blow up soldiers travelling through a place. IED is short for ‘improvised explosive device’: · Several soldiers were killed when an IED exploded as their convoy drove by.mine a type of bomb that is hidden just below the ground or under water, and that explodes when it is touched: · The fields are still full of landmines.· The ship struck a mine and sank.grenade (also hand grenade) a small bomb that can be thrown by hand or fired from a special gun: · He pulled the pin and threw a grenade toward the enemy’s position.bomb1 nounbomb2 verb
bombbomb2 ●●● W3 verb VERB TABLE
bomb
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | bomb |
| he, she, it | bombs | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | bombed |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have bombed |
| he, she, it | has bombed | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had bombed |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will bomb |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have bombed |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am bombing |
| he, she, it | is bombing | |
| you, we, they | are bombing | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was bombing |
| you, we, they | were bombing | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been bombing |
| he, she, it | has been bombing | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been bombing |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be bombing |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been bombing |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- "How'd it go?" "I bombed on the written section, but I think I did okay on the multiple choice part."
- Although the show was a hit in London it bombed on Broadway.
- I bombed on the quiz he gave us.
- I bombed the English test yesterday.
- I just bombed the written section of the test.
- In 1986 they made "Shanghai Surprise," which bombed.
- NATO warplanes bombed a dozen towns Thursday.
- She has had few offers of work since her last movie bombed so spectacularly.
- Her laundry had been bombed, and the hospital was full of casualties, as well as the maternity block.
- Lawrence Evert, shot down 33 years ago as he tried to bomb a nearby railroad bridge.
- They had made two attempts to bomb United States military trains in Lower Saxony in 1987 and 1988.
Longman Language Activatorwhen an event or product is unsuccessful
· The latest model seems likely to be a failure since cheaper versions are now available.be a complete/total failure · It takes a little while for an author to realize that his book has been a complete failure. be a commercial failure (=to not make enough profit) · Her first film was praised by the critics, but was a commercial failure.
to be completely unsuccessful, in a way that makes people feel disappointed and embarrassed: · It was a fiasco! Nobody knew what they were doing and everything went wrong.· The show turned into a fiasco when members of the audience invaded the stage.be a complete/total fiasco: · Lamont's attempts to prop up the pound were a complete fiasco.
if an event, especially a social event, is a disaster , it makes people feel angry, disappointed, or embarrassed, instead of being enjoyable: · Our first date was a disaster.· The whole visit was something of a disaster, and he was still recovering from it months later.be a total/complete disaster: · Even the host would have to admit that the evening had been a complete disaster.
if a situation or event is a shambles , it is completely unsuccessful because it has been very badly planned or organized: · The whole conference was a shambles because half the speakers did not come.· The way this school is run is a shambles.be a complete/total shambles: · Let's hope this year's celebrations aren't a complete shambles like last year's.
if a product, play, or performance flops or is a flop , it is not successful because people do not like it: · The movie flopped and Laughton never got the chance to direct again.· It was just another so-called "wonder product' that flopped when people failed to buy it.· Despite all the publicity, the show was a flop.· It is the public who decide whether a film will be a hit or a flop.
informal if a product, play, or performance bombs , it is not successful because people do not like it: · Although the show was a hit in London it bombed on Broadway.· She has had few offers of work since her last movie bombed so spectacularly.
to fail an exam or test to not succeed in an examination or test: · Jonathan failed his law exams at the end of the year.· If I fail my driving test again, I'm going to give up.· ''How did you do in accountancy?'' ''I failed''.fail by 2 marks/5% etc: · We expected her to pass easily, but she failed by 15 marks.
especially American, informal to fail an examination or test: · He thought he was going to flunk chemistry, but he got a D.· I flunked, and had to do the test again.
especially American informal to fail a course at college or university and be forced to leave: · You either pass and get your degree or flunk out.flunk out of college/school etc: · It was extremely humiliating to flunk out of law school like that.
American informal to fail very badly: · I bombed the English test yesterday.
to fail a test to not reach a high enough standard to succeed in a test or exam: · She failed her history class and has to take it again.· "How did Chris do in his driving test?" "He failed."· Many of the boys in the program had been failing at school.
American informal to fail an exam: · He was cutting school and flunking classes.· She flunked the state bar exam four times before she finally passed.flunk out (=fail all your classes, so that you have to leave school): · Brant flunked out of college his first year.
American informal to fail a test or exam very badly: · I bombed on the quiz he gave us.· "How'd it go?" "I bombed on the written section, but I think I did okay on the multiple choice part."
WORD SETSaction stations, nounaide-de-camp, nounairborne, adjectiveaircraft carrier, nounairlift, nounallied, adjectivearmour, nounarms control, nounarms race, nounarray, verbassault course, nounAWOL, adjectivebalance of power, nounbandmaster, nounbandsman, nounbase, nounbattle, nounbattle, verbbattle cry, nounbattlefield, nounbattlements, nounbeachhead, nounbivouac, nounblackout, nounblast, verbblitz, nounblockade, nounblockade, verbblockhouse, nounbloodshed, nounbody bag, nounbody count, nounbomb, verbbombard, verbbombardment, nounbomb disposal, nounboot camp, nounbowman, nounbreastplate, nounbridgehead, nounbunker, nouncall-up, nouncannonade, nouncapability, nouncaptain, nouncapture, nouncarrier, nouncashier, verbcenotaph, nounchief of staff, nouncitation, nouncivil defence, nounC.O., nouncommand, nouncommand, verbcommandant, nouncommander, nouncommander in chief, nouncommand post, nouncommissariat, nouncommissary, nouncommission, nouncommissioned officer, nounconquer, verbconquest, nounconscientious objector, nounconscript, verbconscript, nounconscription, nounconvoy, verbcookhouse, nounCorp., corporal, nouncorps, nouncounterinsurgency, nouncounterintelligence, nouncountermand, verbcounter-revolution, nouncourt-martial, nouncourt-martial, verbcross, noundawn raid, noundeath camp, noundemilitarize, verbdemobilize, verbdeploy, verbdetonate, verbdisarm, verbdisarmament, noundispatch, noundraft board, noundraft card, noundraft dodger, noundraftee, noundress uniform, noundrum major, noundump, nounechelon, nounencamp, verbenemy, nounengage, verbengagement, nounenlist, verbenlisted, adjectiveexchange, nounex-serviceman, nounex-servicewoman, nounfield, verbfirst lieutenant, nounfirst strike, nounflak jacket, nounflash, nounfort, nounfortress, nounfoxhole, nounFPO, front, noungas mask, noungeneral headquarters, nounGHQ, nounguardhouse, nounheadquarters, nounhigh command, nounHQ, nounincursion, nounindefensible, adjectiveinsignia, nouninstallation, nouninsubordination, nounintelligence, nouninternment, nouninvade, verbinvader, nouninvasion, nounkit bag, nounKP, nounlieutenant, nounline, nounMaj., major, nounmajor general, nounman, nounmarch, verbmarch, nounmarch-past, nounmarshal, nounmassacre, nounmassacre, verbmess, nounmess, verbmilitarism, nounmilitarized, adjectiveMilitary Academy, nounMilitary Cross, nounmilitary service, nounmilitia, nounmilitiaman, nounminuteman, nounmission, nounMP, nounmutineer, nounmutinous, adjectivemutiny, nounnational service, nounNATO, nounNCO, nounno-man's-land, nounnon-aggression, nounnon-aligned, adjectivenon-combatant, nounobjective, nounobservation post, nounoccupation, nounoccupy, verboffence, nounoffensive, adjectiveoffensive, nounofficer, nounoperation, nounorderly, nounoutflank, verboutpost, nounoverthrow, verboverwhelm, verbpact, nounpadre, nounparade, nounparamilitary, adjectiveparapet, nounpartisan, nounpassword, nounpatrol, nounperilous, adjectiveperiscope, nounpillbox, nounpincer movement, nounpost, verbPOW, nounpre-war, adjectiveprisoner, nounprisoner of war, nounPurple Heart, nounpush, nounputsch, nounPX, nounquarter, verbquartermaster, nounquell, verbR & R, nounraid, nounraid, verbrank, nounrebellion, nounrecapture, verbreconnaissance, nounreconnoitre, verbrecruit, verbrecruit, nounreinforce, verbrelieve, verbRemembrance Day, nounrepel, verbrequisition, verbretake, verbretire, verbretreat, verbretreat, nounreview, nounreview, verbribbon, nounsabre-rattling, nounsally, nounsalute, verbsalute, nounsalvo, nounsamurai, nounscorched earth policy, nounscout, nounscout, verbscramble, verbsecond lieutenant, nounsentinel, nounsentry, nounsentry box, nounsergeant, nounsergeant major, nounserviceman, nounservicewoman, nounSgt., shell, verbshelling, nounsiege, nounskirmish, nounstaff officer, nounstaging area, nounstandard-issue, adjectivestar, nounstation, nounstation, verbstrategic, adjectivestrategist, nounstrategy, nounstripe, nounstronghold, nounsuperpower, nounsuppress, verbsurgical strike, nounsurrender, verbsurrender, nountactical, adjectivetarget, nountarget, verbtask force, nountattoo, nountheatre, nountrench warfare, nountripwire, nountruce, nounturret, noununarmed, adjectiveunoccupied, adjectivevalour, nounveteran, nounvolunteer, nounvolunteer, verbwar chest, nounwar crime, nounwar cry, nounwar dance, nounwar effort, nounwarfare, nounwarhorse, nounwarlike, adjectivewarlord, nounwar memorial, nounwarmonger, nounwarrant officer, nounwarring, adjectivewarrior, nounwar-torn, adjectivewar widow, nounwar zone, nounwounded, adjectivezero hour, noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES a full-scale flood alert A bomb blast completely destroyed the building. The device, which contained 400lbs of explosive, was made safe by army bomb disposal experts. a bomb hoax The explosion seems to have been caused by an incendiary device. terrorists responsible for indiscriminate killing a five megaton atomic bomb the threat of nuclear attack concern about the country’s nuclear weapons program a bomb scare
a full-scale flood alert (=usually intended to achieve a political aim)· Animal rights activists are believed to have carried out the bomb attack.
(=an attack from a plane using bombs)· Malta was under heavy air attack.
A bomb blast completely destroyed the building. The device, which contained 400lbs of explosive, was made safe by army bomb disposal experts. (=a bomb hidden in or under a car)· A car bomb exploded killing 33 people.
British English (=have a very high price)· He has a new sports car that must have cost a bomb.
· The building was destroyed by fire in 2004.
(=getting rid of bombs before they explode)· The building was evacuated and a bomb disposal team moved in.
a bomb hoax The explosion seems to have been caused by an incendiary device. terrorists responsible for indiscriminate killing a five megaton atomic bomb the threat of nuclear attack concern about the country’s nuclear weapons program· Bombing raids had destroyed most of the country's oil refineries.
a bomb scare (=where a bomb has exploded)· the bomb sites of war-torn London
· More than 50 people were injured in the terrorist attack.
· The station was closed because of a bomb threat.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSNOUN· The government accused Escobar of masterminding a double car bombing in Bogota on Monday which killed four people and injured dozens more.· Rogue troops are even suspected of participating in the car bombing at the Jakarta stock exchange in September that killed 15 people.
· It was just a few days after the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City.· McVeigh is known to have been in contact with individuals at Elohim City in the days before the bombing.
· The party that became notorious in the 1980s for bombing embassies and kidnapping foreigners is now preaching against rudeness.
· Somehow they bombed the target in perfect weather and unopposed, and returned to Jersey.· B-52s went all-out, bombing vital targets that were heretofore untouched, such as Haiphong Harbor.
· Salameh was a close associate of the alleged mastermind of the Trade Center bombing, Ramzi Yousef.· An effort to upgrade security after the 1993 World Trade Center bombing was sidetracked by budget considerations.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► dirty bomb► saturation bombing
1[transitive] to attack a place by leaving a bomb there, or by dropping bombs on it from a plane: - Police discovered that a bomb had been planted in the bus station.
- He did five himself in Long Kesh in the early seventies for planting a bomb.
- He wanted to plant a bomb in the middle of the busy market, but he was a day early.
- Suspected rebels last week planted a bomb outside the prime minister's home, although no one was injured in the blast.
- You'd never have thought anyone would plant a bomb there.
- As Delbert saw it, they went on suicide missions, which was just the kind of action he wanted.
- His suicide mission came as a surprise to more people than just his family.
- The powers-that-be decide to send you on a suicide mission - nice peeps, aren't they?
The town was heavily bombed in World War II. Government aircraft have been bombing civilian areas. → carpet-bomb, dive-bomb2[intransitive always + adverb/preposition] British English informal to move or drive very quickly: Suddenly a police car came bombing down the high street.3[intransitive, transitive] American English informal to fail a test very badly: I bombed my midterm.4[intransitive] American English if a play, film, event etc bombs, it is not successful: His latest play bombed on Broadway.be bombed out phrasal verb if a building or the people in it are bombed out, the building is completely destroyed: My family were bombed out in 1941.