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
This whitewashing of historical records apparently includes removing photographs of the Enola Gay, the Army Air Force Boeing Superfortress bomber that dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan on Aug. 6, 1945, hastening the end of the final chapter of World War II.
—
Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 19 Mar. 2025
In fact, one of the first reactor designs drawn up for the Allied Manhattan Project to build the first atomic bomb would have used a slurry of salt and uranium.
—David Szondy, New Atlas, 17 Mar. 2025
As previously reported, the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius released thermal energy roughly equivalent to 100,000 times the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II, spewing molten rock, pumice, and hot ash over the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum in particular.
—Ars Technica, 27 Feb. 2025
No country has used nuclear weapons since the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on Japan in 1945.
—Alfredo Sosa, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for atomic bomb
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 19 Mar. 2025
In fact, one of the first reactor designs drawn up for the Allied Manhattan Project to build the first atomic bomb would have used a slurry of salt and uranium.
—David Szondy, New Atlas, 17 Mar. 2025
As previously reported, the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius released thermal energy roughly equivalent to 100,000 times the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II, spewing molten rock, pumice, and hot ash over the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum in particular.
—Ars Technica, 27 Feb. 2025
No country has used nuclear weapons since the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on Japan in 1945.
—Alfredo Sosa, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for atomic bomb
Cite this Entry
“Atomic bomb.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/atomic%20bomb. Accessed 28 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share