What does bombard mean?
To bombard is to attack something with a sustained barrage of bombs, shells, or other projectiles, or, by extension, to overwhelm someone with an unceasing stream of questions, messages, advertisements, or demands. The word comes from the medieval French bombarde, the name of an early cannon, which itself traces back through Latin to the Greek bombos, meaning a deep booming sound—a fitting origin for a weapon whose defining feature was its thunderous report. Today the figurative sense dominates everyday usage: reporters bombard officials with questions, commuters are bombarded by advertising, and inboxes are bombarded with email. Whatever the context, bombard always implies relentlessness and volume; a single blow or message does not constitute bombarding, but a continuous, overwhelming assault of almost any kind does. It is a vivid, forceful word that conveys pressure far more dramatically than milder alternatives like 'ask' or 'send'.
To attack a place or person continuously with bombs, shells, or other projectiles.
"The fortress was bombarded from the surrounding hills for weeks before it finally surrendered."
This literal military sense is standard but now appears mostly in historical, journalistic, or figurative contexts.
To subject someone to an overwhelming and persistent stream of questions, messages, requests, or similar things.
"Fans bombarded the singer with messages within minutes of the announcement."
Almost always followed by 'with' plus the thing being delivered; this is by far the most common sense in modern usage.
A large early cannon of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, typically used to batter fortifications.
"The museum's collection includes a bombard cast during the Hundred Years' War."
Now largely historical; encountered mainly in discussions of medieval and Renaissance artillery. The related Breton double-reed instrument is also called a bombard.
Applies only to the rare noun sense referring to the early cannon; regular plural formation.
"The castle walls were built thick enough to withstand the bombards of the era."
Before it meant showering anyone with anything, a bombard was literally a massive medieval cannon so loud it echoed the Greek word for a booming sound.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of bombard
Bombard entered English in the early seventeenth century from the French verb bombarder, formed on bombarde, the name of an early, large-calibre cannon used in late medieval warfare. The French noun itself derives from the Greek bombos, meaning a booming or hollow echoing sound, the same root that gives us 'bomb' and 'bombast'. From its original sense of battering fortifications with cannon fire, the verb broadened naturally into figurative use, describing any relentless deluge directed at a person or place.
Related word forms
How bombard is actually used
The literal military sense is now less common in everyday speech than the figurative one, which is very frequent in journalism and casual conversation ('bombarded with requests', 'bombarded by ads'). Both senses carry a connotation of intensity and relentlessness—the target is overwhelmed rather than simply attacked once.
Easily confused with bombard
A bombardier is a person—historically an artillery soldier or the crew member of a bombing aircraft who aims and releases bombs—whereas bombard is the act of attacking with such projectiles.
A bomb is the explosive device itself; to bombard is the action of attacking something with bombs, shells, or similar weapons, often continuously.