broadside
1
9.5
- noun
- /ˈbrɔːdˌsaɪd/
- Archaic
:
salva
- In the days of a navy under sail, a ship's greatest firepower could be brought to bear when the warring vessel closed in on its adversary, brought its broadside about to either port or starboard side, and fired explosive volleys from its cannon.
- fire a broadside
- a full broadside
- broadside guns
Examples
-
Signal Baron Gruda's ship for a broadside.
-
As HMS Excellent moves up the line to support Nelson, she fires broadsides into them at close range.
-
Fire broadside from the bow!
-
Hold your fire for a broadside.
-
Here comes the last broadside.
-
All mounts, local control, stand by broadside to port.
-
This vessel rescued the Victory by firing a port broadside into the Redoutable and disabling the French ship.
Academic text (1995) -
Captains, maneuvering their warships, tried to avoid volleys from the broadside of an opposing vessel because those were the most feared and attention-getting that could be brought to bear.
Academic text (1990) -
Another French ship, the Fougueux, then attacked the Temeraire, but the British man-of-war fired her starboard broadside, to equally good effect, and secured her second prize, lashed this time to her starboard side.
Academic text (1995) -
The captain ordered a broadside to incapacitate the enemy ship.
Synonyms
8
8.6
A sudden group of gun or cannon shots fired together
3
4.9
Loud shots from large guns used in an attack
1
9.8
A period when heavy guns like cannons fire without stopping at a place
Many weapons fire together at one target
Fire from several weapons aimed together at one target
How Intense
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Broadside comes from broad ('wide') and side ('side'); on old warships the wide side held many guns, so a broadside is the firing of all those guns at once.