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No opening salvo here: salvo in phrases like “an opening salvo” is a kind of attack, especially one that is strong or sudden. Usually, such salvos are verbal attacks, like a critical remark aimed at a debate opponent, or a pointed accusation at the start of an editorial. But salvo can also refer to attacks of a more perilous kind, including various martial actions involving bombs, rockets, and artillery. (It can also refer to the bombs or projectiles released in a salvo.) The word arrived from Italian in the late 16th century with a complex meaning: it referred to a simultaneous discharge of two or more guns, either in military action or as a salute. The word's ultimate source is the Latin word salve, meaning “hail!,” which was an ancient Roman greeting. In English, salvo is also sometimes used for a sudden occurrence of applause, laughter, etc., from many people, which sounds to us like the best kind of all.
Synonyms
Examples of salvo in a Sentence
Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2024
The strike on Friday was the latest salvo in a series of tit-for-tat attacks between the two countries this month that have heightened fears of a broader regional conflict.
—Luis Ferré-Sadurní, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2024
The motion, which was filed Tuesday and first reported by KTVU, marks the latest salvo in an ongoing legal battle with increasingly little precedent, given that a special master has never previously been appointed to oversee a federal prison.
—Jakob Rodgers, The Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2024
Iran said the salvo was retaliation for an attack on the Iranian consular building in the Syrian capital, Damascus, which killed two senior commanders and five advisers from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
—Matt Bradley, NBC News, 16 Apr. 2024
The salvo was a response to Israel’s April 1 bombing of an Iranian consular office in Syria that killed several top Iranian military officials.
—Detroit Free Press, 15 Apr. 2024
Donahoe’s strong endorsement of coming into the office is the latest salvo in the debate over the future of work.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 14 Apr. 2024
The positions of Israel’s military allies in Europe — whose forces assisted Israel, the United States and Jordan in responding to the salvo of more than 300 Iranian drones and missiles that targeted Israel — largely echoed the advice of the White House.
—Matt Viser, Washington Post, 15 Apr. 2024
Friday’s attack came a day after Kyiv was struck with a salvo of 31 missiles, in an attack targeting facilities belonging to the Defense Intelligence Directorate, a Ukrainian source told CNN.
—Andrew Carey, CNN, 22 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'salvo.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near salvo
Cite this Entry
“Salvo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/salvo. Accessed 2 May. 2024.
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