concentrated fire
- noun
- Jargon
:
fuego concentrado
- During the battle, the commander ordered a concentrated fire from multiple tanks to take out the enemy's defenses.
Examples
-
Other eyewitnesses reported two separate attacks, each lasting perhaps half an hour, that concentrated fire on the library.
Academic text (2003) -
Jeez, look at the concentrated fire of our of our Archers.
-
For several hours, an unusually heavy artillery barrage has been directed at us, and the walls around me are crumbling and disintegrating under the concentrated fire.
Fiction book (1994) -
The soldiers directed their concentrated fire at the enemy stronghold, ensuring maximum impact on the target.
-
The air support provided concentrated fire on the insurgents, which helped secure the area for ground troops.
Synonyms
11
6.8
A sudden series of shots fired quickly, for example from guns
8
8.6
A sudden group of gun or cannon shots fired together
3
9.5
A quick series of gunshots or attacks that happen at once
Many weapons fire together at one target
How Concentrated
- Jargon
- Specialized
1
7.8
- Specialized
14
7.6
- Specialized
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase simply describes 'fire' (gunfire) that has been 'concentrated' (centralized or focused) on a single target or area, so the overall meaning is directly built from the constituents. The adjectival pattern 'concentrated + noun' meaning 'focused/intense' is a common compositional pattern in English (and mirrored in many languages), so a B1 learner who knows the words would readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
The phrase concentrated fire comes from the image of several guns shooting at the same spot at the same time, with concentrated meaning focused together and fire meaning shooting. So, it means 'several weapons aimed together at one target to destroy or stop it'.