What does broadside mean?
A broadside is, most commonly today, a forceful and often public attack made with words — a scathing editorial, a blistering speech, or a pointed criticism aimed squarely at a person, institution, or idea. The word's figurative force derives from its literal origins: in naval warfare, a broadside was the simultaneous firing of every cannon along one side of a warship, delivering a devastating concentrated blow. The term also refers historically to a large sheet of paper printed on a single side, used for ballads, proclamations, and posters that were posted in public places. As a verb, broadside can describe hitting the side of a vehicle in a collision, particularly in American usage. The word carries connotations of directness, weight, and confrontation; to fire a broadside is not to whisper a complaint but to deliver criticism with full force, usually openly and from a position of conviction.
A powerful verbal or written attack; the simultaneous firing of all guns on one side of a warship; or a sheet of paper printed on one side.
"Her memoir delivers a broadside against the studio executives who sidelined her career."
The critical-attack sense dominates contemporary use, especially in journalism.
To strike the side of a vehicle in a collision; less commonly, to attack someone forcefully with words.
"A pickup truck ran the red light and broadsided the sedan."
The collision sense is chiefly North American.
Regular plural, used when referring to multiple attacks, salvos, or printed sheets.
"The two columnists traded broadsides for weeks over the editorial pages."
Broadside comes straight from the age of sail, when a warship unleashing every cannon on one side of its hull delivered the most devastating punch in naval warfare.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of broadside
Broadside is a compound of 'broad' and 'side', first attested in English in the late sixteenth century as a naval term for firing all the guns on one side of a ship at once. By the early seventeenth century it had also come to mean the single-sided printed sheet sold cheaply on the street, and the figurative sense of a vigorous verbal attack developed naturally from the military image, becoming established by the seventeenth century. The compound shares its elements with other everyday formations built on 'broad', such as 'broadcast' and 'broadsheet'.
How broadside is actually used
The figurative sense — a sharp public criticism — is by far the most common in modern journalism and political commentary, typically appearing in phrases like 'fire a broadside' or 'a broadside against'. The naval and printed-sheet senses are largely historical today. As a verb, 'broadside' is especially common in American English traffic reporting to describe side-impact collisions.
Easily confused with broadside
A broadsheet is a large-format newspaper page, while a broadside is an attack — verbal, written, or naval.