bombing

bombing — noun

1. the act of deliberately exploding one or more bombs in order to damage a place o

1.nounB2
Definition

the act of deliberately exploding one or more bombs in order to damage a place or harm people, whether as part of a war, a political protest, or a terrorist plan; also, a single event in which this happens

Example

The bombing of the port city killed more than two hundred civilians.

bombing of [place] — noun + of + location

Noor could hear the bombing from her shelter half a mile away.

Common collocations
  • car bombing
  • suicide bombing
  • bombing campaign
  • bombing raid
  • bombing run
  • aerial bombing
  • indiscriminate bombing
Synonyms
  • shelling

    specifically refers to attacks using artillery shells or mortar fire, not aircraft-dropped bombs

  • air strike

    a bombing carried out by aircraft, often more targeted and military in nature

  • bombardment

    a continuous, heavy attack with bombs or shells over a period of time, implying sustained fire rather than a single event

Grammar Patterns

the bombing of [place]

[number] bombings

Usage Note

Can be countable (referring to a specific event: 'a bombing', 'several bombings') or uncountable (referring to the activity in general: 'Bombing causes immense suffering').

Common Mistakes

The bombing went off at midnight.
The bomb went off at midnight.
'bombing' refers to the event or the general activity, not to the explosive device itself.
The building was destroyed by bombing.' (when meaning a single device).
The building was destroyed by a bomb.
use 'bomb' for a single explosive device; use 'bombing' for the whole attack.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe attacks using explosives, but they differ in method and scope. Bombing is the broadest term, covering any attack where bombs are used — from a single bomb planted in a car to a military aircraft dropping multiple explosives. Shelling refers specifically to attacks from artillery guns or mortars that fire shells, not dropped bombs. An air strike is a bombing carried out by planes or drones, usually against a specific military target. Bombardment suggests a heavy, continuous attack that goes on for some time — the emphasis is on intensity and duration rather than the tool used. For example: 'The city suffered constant shelling from the hills' (artillery fire), 'An air strike destroyed the weapons depot' (targeted aircraft attack), 'The week-long bombardment left the entire district in ruins' (sustained heavy attack).

shellingair strikebombardment

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • a series of bombings
  • the bombing of [place]
  • carry out a bombing

Prepositions

Etymology

GreekLatinItalianFrenchEnglish

Bombing is the noun form of the verb bomb, which comes from the noun bomb. English borrowed bomb from French bombe around the 1600s, and French took it from Italian bomba, itself from Latin bombus meaning 'a booming, buzzing sound' — which came from Greek bombos, an onomatopoeic word for a deep, loud noise. So the word has always been about the sound of an explosion, long before the modern explosive device existed. The '-ing' suffix turns the action into a noun referring either to the activity as a whole or to a single event.