broadside

1 of 4

noun

broad·​side ˈbrȯd-ˌsīd 

1

a(1)

: a sizable sheet of paper printed on one side

(2)

: a sheet printed on one or both sides and folded

b

: something (such as a ballad) printed on a broadside

2

archaic : the side of a ship above the waterline

3

a

: all the guns on one side of a ship

also : their simultaneous discharge

b

: a volley of abuse or denunciation

4

: a broad or unbroken surface

broadside

2 of 4

adjective

: directed or placed broadside

a broadside attack

broadside

3 of 4

adverb

1

a

: with the side forward or toward a given point : sideways

turned broadside

b

: directly from the side

the car was hit broadside

2

: in one volley

3

: at random

broadside

4 of 4

verb

broadsided; broadsiding; broadsides

transitive verb

: to hit broadside

the car was broadsided

Did you know?

Nautical language is both fascinating and fun, what with its jibbooms and spirketing, its scuppers and poop decks. As these four terms demonstrate, not all ship-related words sail over to landlubber vocabulary, but broadside is one that has. It originally referred to the side of a ship above the water, then later to the guns arrayed along that side. The further use of broadside to refer to the firing of all those guns at once eventually led to the figurative “volley of abuse” sense—a strongly worded attack intended to shiver one’s timbers. The printing-related uses of broadside, referring originally to sheets of paper, and then to matter printed on such paper, arose independently.

Synonyms

Adverb

• crabwise
• edgeways [chiefly British]
• edgewise
• sideways
• sidewise

Examples of broadside in a Sentence

Adverb

The car was hit broadside.

one car hit the other broadside and crushed the passenger door

Verb

His car was broadsided by a truck as he was driving through the intersection.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The written broadside that the agency’s top immigration official leveled against her own employees underscored the shift underway. —Devlin Barrett, New York Times, 29 Jan. 2025

Trump delivered the broadside on Truth Social two hours after the Fed opted to maintain a key interest rate at its current level. —Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 29 Jan. 2025

Adjective

There’s often not an opportunity for a perfect broadside shot in the woods. —Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life, 28 Nov. 2024

There were strong gusts at Michigan on Monday, and if LaJoie’s car — already at full speed — suddenly turned broadside into heavier-than-normal wind, could that help his car lift off? —Jeff Gluck, The Athletic, 20 Aug. 2024

Verb

Near Yuba Pass in California, a snowdrift broadsided the train. —Robert Klara, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Jan. 2025

White allegedly ran a red light near Bancroft Avenue and Church Street in Oakland, broadsiding Robinson-Bray’s Chrysler 200 and striking a third vehicle as well. —Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 14 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1591, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Adjective

1646, in the meaning defined above

Adverb

1786, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1981, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

broadside

1 of 2 noun

broad·​side ˈbrȯd-ˌsīd 

1

: the part of a ship's side above the waterline

2

: a firing of all of the guns that are on the same side of a ship

3

: a sheet of paper printed usually on one side (as an advertisement)

4

: a strongly worded attack

a broadside of criticism

broadside

2 of 2 adverb

1

: with one side forward : sideways

turned broadside

2

: from the side

hit the car broadside