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Glite Dictionary
smart bomb

smart bomb

7 4.0
A bomb that can be guided to hit a specific target
  • noun
  • /smɑrt bɑm/
  • Specialized
translation icon : bomba inteligente
  • This is the latest bunker-busting weapon.. the B-183M, smart bomb.
  • satellite-guided smart bombs
  • laser-guided smart bomb
  • smart bombs and missiles

And what do smart bombs have to do with that?

Examples

  • Modern warfare increasingly relies on smart bombs equipped with advanced guidance systems for precise targeting.

  • Have you seen what the new smart bombs can do?

    Flight of Fury (2007)

  • the United States is set to provide longer range smart bombs to Ukraine.

  • Those surgical hits made by our smart bombs covered so well on CNN?

    The Rock (1996)

  • Nowadays, at bases here in the United States and abroad, technicians direct smart bombs and Predator drones to their "targets" on screens, much like video games, where living human beings are presented as electronic images on a monitor.

    Academic text (2010)

  • The military plans to deploy smart bombs to ensure more accurate strikes against enemy targets.

  • During the conflict, smart bombs were used to hit specific military installations with minimal collateral damage.

Synonyms

laser-guided bomb
vssmart bomb
  • Specialized
3 4.1

A bomb that follows laser light to hit a target accurately

is broader, using various guidance methods rather than only laser
Guided Bomb Unit-28
vssmart bomb
  • Specialized
9.4

A heavy laser-guided bomb weighing 5,000 pounds that goes deep into bunkers to destroy them

focuses on accurate targeting generally, not on heavy penetration
Joint Direct Attack Munition
vssmart bomb
  • Specialized
8.6

A U.S. military kit that turns a regular bomb dropped from a plane into a precise guided bomb

describes built-in guidance on the weapon rather than an attached kit

Antonyms

dumb bomb
  • Specialized
1 5.1

An explosive dropped from a plane that falls by gravity without guidance

How Accurate

laser-guided bomb
  • Specialized
3 4.1
smart bomb
  • Specialized
7 4.0
gravity bomb
  • Specialized
1 6.2

Surface Forms

smart bomb singular
smart bombs plural

Morphology

smart + bomb

The adjective 'smart' (having automated intelligence or guidance) combined with 'bomb' yields a straightforward compositional meaning: a bomb that is 'smart' because it can accurately reach a target. This adjective+noun pattern is transparent and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both words would very likely infer the intended meaning even if they lack technical details.

Etymology

The name smart bomb comes from the idea of a bomb that is 'smart', not really thinking but fitted with parts that help it find the right target. So it means a bomb that can aim itself and hit a single chosen target.