review bomb

verb

variants or review-bomb
review bombed or review-bombed; review bombing or review-bombing; review bombs or review-bombs

transitive verb

: to post a usually negative online review of (a product, business, etc.) especially as part of a coordinated campaign
When users began to review bomb the app last Thursday, Robinhood reached a one-star rating with nearly 275,000 reviews.Chaim Gartenberg
This is just a selection of some of the books getting review bombed in the wake of censorship attempts.Danika Ellis
A massage therapy business owner accidentally sent a racist message complaining about a Black customer to the customer. Now, his business is getting review-bombed on Yelp.Moises Mendez II
On Steam, where the game launched for the first time this week … players have flocked to post their opinions and review-bomb the game.Bree Royce
review bomb noun
plural review bombs
The Steam review bombs, especially, have been vicious, with over 3,000 negative reviews being posted … in the past two days. Nathan Grayson
review bomber noun
or review-bomber
plural review bombers or review-bombers
… while maliciously tanking the score of a local B&B or a self-published novel might affect the fortunes of a small business, what possible effect can review bombers have on entertainment juggernauts? Rich Wordsworth

Examples of review bomb in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Arrowhead and Sony later walked back that decision after a massive outcry from players, including review bombing the game on Steam. Ash Parrish, The Verge, 23 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

2008, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of review bomb was in 2008

Dictionary Entries Near review bomb

Cite this Entry

“Review bomb.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/review%20bomb. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!