A time bomb went off in the airport killing thirteen people.
Source: tatoeba (18218)
Bomb
/bɑm/
Synonyms for "bomb" (280 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (56)
Noun(8 words)
a-bombaerial bombantimasqueantipersonnel bombastonishmentatom-bombatomic bombaudience successballetbatterbe a gasbe a hitbillblastblitzblockbusterblowblow to piecesblow upbolt
Strong matches (84)
dramatic seriesdramatizedraw a blankdrop a bombdrop the ballduddull thudduodramaduologueearthshakerepic theaterexperimental theaterexplosiveextravaganzaeye openereye-openerfailfailurefall flatfan
Show 41 more words
featurefire bombfireballfirecrackerfireworksfizzleflat failureflopfloperooflummoxfoldfold upfortunefrostfusion bombgas grenadegasserget leftgiveawayglide-bombgrand guignolgrenadeh-bombhand grenadehappeningheadlinehithit showhydrobombhydrogen bombimprovisational dramaincendiaryincendiary bombincendiary grenadeinfernal machinejokerkickerkillinglay an egglegitimate dramalemon
Noun(15 words)
dynamitedynamitingexplosiveexplosive devicefailfail verbfirebombfirebombingfirebombsflopfloppingflopsgrenadesiedletterbombs
Adjective(1 words)
Related words (140)
lose outlosermake a hitmasquemelodramamelodramatizemineminstrel showmintmiraclemiracle playmonodramamonologuemoralitymorality playmountmusic dramamusical revuemysterymystery play
Show 110 more words
not hack itnot make itopenopen a showoperapacketpageantpanel showpantomimepassion playpastoralpastoral dramapeltperipeteiapetardpiecepilepipe bombplayplayletplutonium bombpotpremierepresentpreviewproblem playproducepsychodramaput onquiz showradio dramarazon bombrevelationreviewrevuerobot bombrocrocket bombroman candlesatchel chargescenarizesensationsensational playserialset the stageshellshockershowsitcomsituation comedysketchskip-bombskitsmoke bombsoapsoap operasociodramaspectaclespringstagestage playstage showstaggererstarstartlerstench bombstink bombstraight dramastrike outsucceedsuccesssurprisalsurprisesurprise endingsurprise packagesurprise partysuspense dramaswitchtableautableau vivanttake the counttalk showtear gas grenadetear-gas bombtear-gas grenadeteleplaytelevision dramatelevision playtheater of crueltytheatricalizethermonuclear bombthunderboltthunderclaptime bombtom showtotal losstotal theatertry outturkeyvariety showvaudevillevaudeville showvehiclewadwall grenadewashoutwear thinwhiffword-of-mouth successwork
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: dud, a-bomb, aerial bomb, antimasque, antipersonnel bomb.
- Sentence evidence is available for bomb, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wordnet, opengloss, moby, derived_reverse, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "bomb".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "bomb"
Keep "bomb" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "bomb" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "bomb", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "bomb" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
19 entriesShowing 16 of 19 words.
More specific
9 entriesCollocations
11 entriesaerial attackairstrikeatomic bombbomb blastbomb shelterbomb squadbomb threatbombing campaigndetonation chargemass bombingnuclear bomb
Inflections
3 entriesDerivations
5 entriessimilar
1 entriesTranslations
222 translations across 104 languages.
Afrikaans
1 entries- bom noun (device filled with explosives)
Albanian
2 entries- bombë noun (device filled with explosives)
- bombardoj verb (attack with bombs)
Amharic
1 entries- ቦምብ noun (device filled with explosives)
Arabic
4 entries- قُنْبُلة noun (device filled with explosives)
- قُنْبُلَة noun (device filled with explosives)
- فجر verb (attack with bombs)
- فرقع verb (attack with bombs)
Armenian
2 entries- ռումբ noun (device filled with explosives)
- ռմբակոծել verb (attack with bombs)
Azerbaijani
2 entries- bomba noun (device filled with explosives)
- bombalamaq verb (attack with bombs)
Basque
1 entries- bonba noun (device filled with explosives)
Belarusian
4 entries- бо́мба noun (device filled with explosives)
- абстраля́ць verb (attack with bombs)
- абстрэ́льваць verb (attack with bombs)
- бамбардава́ць verb (attack with bombs)
Bengali
1 entries- বোমা noun (device filled with explosives)
Breton
1 entries- bomb noun (device filled with explosives)
Bulgarian
2 entries- бо́мба noun (device filled with explosives)
- бомбарди́рам verb (attack with bombs)
Burmese
2 entries- ဗုံး noun (device filled with explosives)
- မိုင်း noun (device filled with explosives)
Catalan
3 entries- bomba noun (device filled with explosives)
- explosiu noun (device filled with explosives)
- bombardejar verb (attack with bombs)
Central Kurdish
1 entries- بۆمبا noun (device filled with explosives)
Chechen
1 entries- бомба noun (device filled with explosives)
Cherokee
1 entries- ᏗᎵᏍᏓᏲᎯᎯ noun (device filled with explosives)
Chinese
2 entries- задан noun (device filled with explosives)
- 炸彈 /炸弹 noun (device filled with explosives)
Chinese Cantonese
1 entries- 炸彈 /炸弹 noun (device filled with explosives)
Chinese Mandarin
4 entries- 炸彈 /炸弹 noun (device filled with explosives)
- 炮擊 /炮击 verb (attack with bombs)
- 轟擊 /轰击 verb (attack with bombs)
- 轟炸 /轰炸 verb (attack with bombs)
Czech
3 entries- bomba noun (device filled with explosives)
- bombardovat verb (attack with bombs)
- vybombardovat verb (attack with bombs)
Danish
2 entries- bombe noun (device filled with explosives)
- bombe verb (attack with bombs)
Dari
1 entries- بَم noun (device filled with explosives)
Dutch
2 entries- bom noun (device filled with explosives)
- bombarderen verb (attack with bombs)
Esperanto
3 entries- bombo noun (device filled with explosives)
- bombardi verb (attack with bombs)
- bombi verb (attack with bombs)
Estonian
2 entries- pomm noun (device filled with explosives)
- pommitama verb (attack with bombs)
Faroese
1 entries- bumba noun (device filled with explosives)
Finnish
2 entries- pommi noun (device filled with explosives)
- pommittaa verb (attack with bombs)
French
4 entries- bombe noun (device filled with explosives)
- explosif noun (device filled with explosives)
- obus noun (device filled with explosives)
- bombarder verb (attack with bombs)
Galician
3 entries- bomba noun (device filled with explosives)
- bombardear verb (attack with bombs)
- bombear verb (attack with bombs)
Gan Chinese
1 entries- 炸彈 /炸弹 noun (device filled with explosives)
Georgian
3 entries- ბომბი noun (device filled with explosives)
- დაბომბვა verb (attack with bombs)
- ყუმბარების დაშენა verb (attack with bombs)
German
3 entries- Bombe noun (device filled with explosives)
- Sprengstoff noun (device filled with explosives)
- bombardieren verb (attack with bombs)
Greek
2 entries- βόμβα noun (device filled with explosives)
- βομβαρδίζω verb (attack with bombs)
Gujarati
1 entries- બૉમ્બ noun (device filled with explosives)
Hawaiian
1 entries- pōkā pahū noun (device filled with explosives)
Hebrew
3 entries- פְּצָצָה noun (device filled with explosives)
- הפציץ verb (attack with bombs)
- פּוֹצֵץ verb (attack with bombs)
Hindi
3 entries- गोला noun (device filled with explosives)
- बम noun (device filled with explosives)
- बमबारी करना verb (attack with bombs)
Hungarian
4 entries- bomba noun (device filled with explosives)
- pokolgép noun (device filled with explosives)
- bombáz verb (attack with bombs)
- ágyúz verb (attack with bombs)
Icelandic
2 entries- holkúla noun (device filled with explosives)
- sprengja noun (device filled with explosives)
Ido
2 entries- bombo noun (device filled with explosives)
- bombardar verb (attack with bombs)
Indonesian
2 entries- bom noun (device filled with explosives)
- membomi verb (attack with bombs)
Ingrian
2 entries- bomba noun (device filled with explosives)
- bombittaa verb (attack with bombs)
Interlingua
3 entries- bomba noun (device filled with explosives)
- bombar verb (attack with bombs)
- bombardar verb (attack with bombs)
Iranian Persian
1 entries- بُمْب noun (device filled with explosives)
Irish
2 entries- buama noun (device filled with explosives)
- buamáil verb (attack with bombs)
Italian
4 entries- bomba noun (device filled with explosives)
- esplosivo noun (device filled with explosives)
- ordigno noun (device filled with explosives)
- bombardare verb (attack with bombs)
Japanese
4 entries- ボム noun (device filled with explosives)
- 爆ぜ弾 noun (device filled with explosives)
- 爆弾 noun (device filled with explosives)
- 爆撃する verb (attack with bombs)
Kannada
1 entries- ಸಿಡಿಗುಂಡು noun (device filled with explosives)
Kazakh
1 entries- бомба noun (device filled with explosives)
Khmer
1 entries- គ្រាប់បែក noun (device filled with explosives)
Korean
4 entries- 봄 noun (device filled with explosives)
- 폭탄 noun (device filled with explosives)
- 포격(砲擊)하다 verb (attack with bombs)
- 폭격(爆擊)하다 verb (attack with bombs)
Kyrgyz
1 entries- бомба noun (device filled with explosives)
Lao
2 entries- ບົມ noun (device filled with explosives)
- ໂບມ noun (device filled with explosives)
Latin
4 entries- bomba noun (device filled with explosives)
- pyrobolus noun (device filled with explosives)
- bombardare verb (attack with bombs)
- urbem tormentis verberare verb (attack with bombs)
Latvian
2 entries- bumba noun (device filled with explosives)
- bombardēt verb (attack with bombs)
Lithuanian
2 entries- bomba noun (device filled with explosives)
- bombarduoti verb (attack with bombs)
Luxembourgish
1 entries- Bomm noun (device filled with explosives)
Macedonian
2 entries- бомба noun (device filled with explosives)
- бомбарди́ра verb (attack with bombs)
Malay
1 entries- bom noun (device filled with explosives)
Maltese
1 entries- bomba noun (device filled with explosives)
Manx
1 entries- bleaystan noun (device filled with explosives)
Marathi
2 entries- ध्वम noun (device filled with explosives)
- बॉम्ब noun (device filled with explosives)
Mongolian
1 entries- бөмбөг noun (device filled with explosives)
Norman
2 entries- bombe noun (device filled with explosives)
- bomber verb (attack with bombs)
Northern Kurdish
1 entries- bombe noun (device filled with explosives)
Norwegian Bokmål
2 entries- bombe noun (device filled with explosives)
- bombe verb (attack with bombs)
Occitan
1 entries- bomba noun (device filled with explosives)
Pannonian Rusyn
2 entries- бомбардовац verb (attack with bombs)
- забомбардовац verb (attack with bombs)
Pashto
1 entries- بم noun (device filled with explosives)
Persian
1 entries- بمباران کردن verb (attack with bombs)
Polish
4 entries- bomba noun (device filled with explosives)
- bombardować verb (attack with bombs)
- ostrzelać verb (attack with bombs)
- ostrzeliwać verb (attack with bombs)
Portuguese
4 entries- bomba noun (device filled with explosives)
- coisa explosiva noun (device filled with explosives)
- explosivo noun (device filled with explosives)
- bombardear verb (attack with bombs)
Romanian
2 entries- bombă noun (device filled with explosives)
- a bombarda verb (attack with bombs)
Russian
4 entries- бо́мба noun (device filled with explosives)
- бомбардирова́ть verb (attack with bombs)
- бомби́ть verb (attack with bombs)
- обстре́ливать verb (attack with bombs)
Scottish Gaelic
1 entries- boma noun (device filled with explosives)
Serbo-Croatian
4 entries- bȏmba noun (device filled with explosives)
- бо̑мба noun (device filled with explosives)
- bombardovati verb (attack with bombs)
- bombardírati verb (attack with bombs)
Sicilian
1 entries- bumma noun (device filled with explosives)
Sinhalese
1 entries- බෝම්බය noun (device filled with explosives)
Slovak
3 entries- bomba noun (device filled with explosives)
- bombardovať verb (attack with bombs)
- vybombardovať verb (attack with bombs)
Slovene
2 entries- bomba noun (device filled with explosives)
- bombardirati verb (attack with bombs)
Spanish
4 entries- bomba noun (device filled with explosives)
- explosivo noun (device filled with explosives)
- bombardear verb (attack with bombs)
- bombear verb (attack with bombs)
Swahili
1 entries- bomu noun (device filled with explosives)
Swedish
3 entries- bomb noun (device filled with explosives)
- bomba verb (attack with bombs)
- bombardera verb (attack with bombs)
Tagalog
1 entries- bomba noun (device filled with explosives)
Tajik
1 entries- бомба noun (device filled with explosives)
Tamil
2 entries- குண்டு noun (device filled with explosives)
- வெடிகுண்டு noun (device filled with explosives)
Thai
3 entries- บอมบ์ noun (device filled with explosives)
- ระเบิด noun (device filled with explosives)
- ระเบิด verb (attack with bombs)
Tibetan
1 entries- འབོམ noun (device filled with explosives)
Tigrinya
1 entries- ቦምባ noun (device filled with explosives)
Turkish
2 entries- bomba noun (device filled with explosives)
- bombalamak verb (attack with bombs)
Turkmen
1 entries- bomba noun (device filled with explosives)
Ukrainian
4 entries- бо́мба noun (device filled with explosives)
- бомбардува́ти verb (attack with bombs)
- бомби́ти verb (attack with bombs)
- обстрі́лювати verb (attack with bombs)
Urdu
3 entries- بَم noun (device filled with explosives)
- گولا noun (device filled with explosives)
- گولَہ noun (device filled with explosives)
Uyghur
1 entries- بومبا noun (device filled with explosives)
Uzbek
1 entries- bomba noun (device filled with explosives)
Vietnamese
2 entries- bom noun (device filled with explosives)
- ném bom verb (attack with bombs)
Volapük
2 entries- boum noun (device filled with explosives)
- boumön verb (attack with bombs)
Welsh
1 entries- bom noun (device filled with explosives)
West-Frisian
1 entries- bom noun (device filled with explosives)
Wu Chinese
1 entries- 炸彈 /炸弹 noun (device filled with explosives)
Yakut
1 entries- бомбалаа verb (attack with bombs)
Yiddish
1 entries- באָמבע noun (device filled with explosives)
Yoruba
4 entries- bọ́m̀bù noun (device filled with explosives)
- àdó olóró noun (device filled with explosives)
- ju bọ́ǹbù verb (attack with bombs)
- ju àdó olóró verb (attack with bombs)
Zhuang
1 entries- cadan noun (device filled with explosives)
Sample sentences
61 total sentences available.
A fanatic threw a bomb at the king's coach.
Source: tatoeba (19249)
Science produced the atomic bomb.
Source: tatoeba (24027)
In London, the police are always worried about finding a bomb on the train or subway.
Source: tatoeba (29285)
Showing 4 of 61 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "bomb"?
Closest matches include dud, a-bomb, aerial bomb, antimasque, antipersonnel bomb.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "bomb"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.