BOMBS Synonyms: 313 Similar and Opposite Words

bombs 1 of 2

noun

plural of bomb

as in disasters

something that has failed her tell-all book was a bomb that landed on the remainder tables with a thud

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

bombs

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of bomb

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

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as in races

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in collapses

to be unsuccessful the chichi restaurant bombed big-time, lasting only six months

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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as in shells

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 bombs

Noun

The Russian attack on Kyiv included three ballistic missiles carrying cluster munitions -- bombs that open in the air and release scores of smaller bomblets, Zelenskyy said. — Arkansas Online, 23 Oct. 2026 But more crucial was the American nuclear umbrella, which spared countries such as Germany, Japan and South Korea the need to develop their own bombs. — Fareed Zakaria, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026 The Russian attack on Kyiv included three ballistic missiles carrying cluster munitions — bombs that open in the air and release scores of smaller bomblets, Zelensky said. — Derek Gatopoulos, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026 Both nuclear power and nuclear bombs require a lighter, rarer kind of uranium, U-235, rather than the more common, heavier U-238. — Nick Bockelman, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026 The war continues Zelenskyy said on Sunday that Russia has launched more than 4,000 strike drones, bombs and missiles against his country over the past week. — Kristin Wright, NPR, 18 Oct. 2026 Zelensky does not appear to be in a rush to hold elections and the public has shown little enthusiasm for heading to the polls as bombs fly overhead. — Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 15 Oct. 2026 Replica explosives, including fake bombs and grenades, are not allowed in carry-on or checked luggage, according to TSA guidance. — Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026 And, not surprisingly, that is exactly what happened — the day after the easing of sanctions, 20 people, including three children, ⁠⁠were killed when Russian aerial bombs hit residential buildings in the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia. — Joel R. Levin, Chicago Tribune, 14 Oct. 2026

Verb

The campus is eerily silent, even as Israel attacks Lebanon and the United States bombs Iran. — Jonathan Zimmerman, Chicago Tribune, 9 June 2026 The United States bombs Iran's nuclear facilities days later. — Erin Mansfield, USA Today, 1 Mar. 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

Since 2024, the state and federal governments have spent over half a billion dollars on disasters in Ruidoso — nine times the village’s annual budget.

— Abe Streep, ProPublica, 21 Oct. 2026
These same companies continue to kill the clean energy that is not only cheaper, but try to side-step their glaring responsibility for the increasing cascade of climate disasters.

— Tom Tapp, Deadline, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of disasters

Verb

Even as China races the United States for AI supremacy, Reuters has reported that China’s Moonshot AI is in talks with Amazon, Microsoft, and Alphabet for a share of the revenue those companies earn from hosting its Kimi K3 model.

— NIALL FERGUSON, Foreign Affairs, 20 Oct. 2026
The high pressure air in the Great Basin races downhill to the coast.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of races

Verb

When a reef collapses, hard corals disappear and are replaced by algae, rubble and sponges.

— ABC News, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026
For developers managing a mix of AC and DC loads, Inam says the device collapses a number of machines—including a rectifier, an inverter, backup power and energy management—into a single unit four feet square and 12 feet high.

— Alex Pasternack, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of collapses

Noun

The feat concludes a pursuit that began in 2009, when Zhang first experimented with riding a motorcycle on water and overcame early failures to achieve his latest goal.

— Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 26 Oct. 2026
Neeley said the floodwaters were receding but left mud and silt, much of which has been contaminated with sewage because of failures at waste plants.

— ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of failures

Verb

Someone bombards you with a stack of un-asked for pages at a coffee date?

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2026
Kyiv urgently needs more interceptors before winter, when Russia routinely bombards its power grid, but the demands of the Iran war and slow output of the sophisticated interceptors have left Ukraine short and vulnerable.

— Samya Kullab, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of bombards

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bombproof

bombs

bombshell

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Style

“Bombs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bombs. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of bombs

noun

verb

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