barrage fire
1
9.3
- noun
- /bəˈrɑːʒ faɪər/
- Specialized
- The army unleashed a barrage fire to protect the advancing infantry from enemy positions.
Examples
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Before the assault, a barrage fire was used to weaken enemy defenses.
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The noise of the barrage fire echoed across the valley for hours.
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The barrage fire was intense.
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During the war, they faced a barrage fire daily.
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Before the assault, a barrage fire was used to weaken enemy defenses.
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The army unleashed a barrage fire to protect the advancing infantry from enemy positions.
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The noise of the barrage fire echoed across the valley for hours.
Synonyms
36
7.0
A long, heavy attack with bombs or large guns on a place
35
8.3
Firing large guns at an area, often not aimed at a specific target
14
7.6
A heavy continuous attack by large guns across an area
11
7.9
Soldiers fire explosive shells in a high arc at a target from the ground
11
6.9
A heavy attack by military guns and cannons on enemy positions
4
4.9
Loud shots from large guns used in an attack
1
9.5
Artillery or mortar guns fire in one direction with changing elevation to hit different distances across a target area
1
9.9
A long, very loud attack by many heavy guns firing rapidly
Antonyms
How Intense
- NSFW
1
8.2
- Specialized
36
7.0
- Specialized
1
9.3
- Specialized
1
9.3
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly and transparently derived from 'barrage' (sustained artillery fire to saturate an area) and 'fire' (the firing of guns); combined they straightforwardly denote heavy, continuous artillery firing over a wide area. This is a simple noun+noun composition following normal English compounding, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Barrage fire comes from the word barrage, which once meant a 'barrier' or 'wall', and the word fire meaning shooting from guns. Soldiers pictured a continuous wall of shells from big guns, so barrage fire means heavy, continuous shooting meant to cover an area rather than aim at one target.