to bombard; to shell; to irradiate
Meanings
2 senses · 9 examplesverb
to bomb; to shell; to attack with artillery
formalPrimarily used in military contexts to describe concentrated and heavy fire.
The artillery unit continuously shelled the enemy's frontline positions.
This castle was subjected to heavy bombardment during the war.
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The air force's mission is to bombard the enemy's main supply lines.
After being shelled all night, the town was reduced to rubble.
Naval vessels carried out long-range bombardment of the target from the sea.
verb
to irradiate; to bombard (with particles)
technicalA technical term used in nuclear physics and chemistry, referring to the process of directing a stream of particles at a target.
Scientists bombard uranium nuclei with a stream of neutrons to induce nuclear fission.
In the lab, we bombard a gold foil with alpha particles.
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The main function of a particle accelerator is to generate a high-speed particle stream to bombard a target material.
By bombarding stable nuclei, new radioactive isotopes can sometimes be produced.