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 1945, on the anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, scientists who had worked on the Manhattan Project, which built the world's first atomic bombs, began publishing a mimeographed newsletter called The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. —Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 28 Jan. 2025

In private meetings on that same trip, Mr. Blinken and his aides heard about war plans for Gaza that foretold more mass killing — including ominous reminders from Israeli officials that America had once been willing to annihilate Hiroshima and Nagasaki with atomic bombs. —Edward Wong, New York Times, 18 Jan. 2025

China, which is one of the nine nuclear-armed nations, detonated its first atomic bomb in 1964. —Michael Gfoeller and David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 16 Jan. 2025

Wheeler, as a result, became one of thousands of scientists working on the Manhattan Project during World War II — America’s effort to build an atomic bomb. —Ken Bridges, Austin American-Statesman, 31 Dec. 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