atomic bomb

noun

1

: a bomb whose violent explosive power is due to the sudden release of energy resulting from the splitting of nuclei of a heavy chemical element (such as plutonium or uranium) by neutrons in a very rapid chain reaction

called also atom bomb

2

: a nuclear weapon (such as a hydrogen bomb)

Examples of atomic bomb in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In November of this year, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to an association of Japanese atomic bomb survivors (Hibakusha) from Hiroshima and Nagasaki. —Bishop Peter A. Rosazza, Hartford Courant, 23 Dec. 2024

The base is also home to the National Museum of the US Air Force, a massive facility which houses some of the most important aircraft in history, including Bockscar, the B-29 bomber that dropped the atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan. —Brad Lendon, CNN, 16 Dec. 2024

Plutonium became a key to the Manhattan Project producing the world’s first atomic bomb amid World War II. —The Arizona Republic, 14 Dec. 2024

Communities near Republic Services' Wayne Disposal Inc. hazardous waste landfill have filed a lawsuit in Wayne County Circuit Court seeking to halt radioactive waste shipments from a World War II-era atomic bomb development site in New York. —Keith Matheny, Detroit Free Press, 18 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1914, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

atomic bomb

noun

1

: a bomb whose violent explosive power is due to the sudden release of energy resulting from the splitting of nuclei of a heavy chemical element (as plutonium or uranium) by neutrons

called also atom bomb

2

: hydrogen bomb