dumb bomb
1
5.1
- noun
- /dʌm bɑm/
- Specialized
:
bomba tonta
- Because of the high density of antiaircraft guns in Iraq, most of the bombs were released at medium or high altitudes, which decreased the accuracy of delivery of the "dumb bombs."
Examples
-
Matt hailed a B-52 and landed a volley of fifteen dumb bombs on the convoy.
Fiction book (2002) -
Even dumb bombs would have been more useful now.
Fiction book (2002) -
Ten percent are the so-called dumb bomb.
-
He could hear the fighter in the distance, dropping dumb bombs on enemy troops farther afield.
Fiction book (2002) -
He hailed a B-52 and requested a strike of dumb bombs.
Fiction book (2002) -
At 15,000 ft, lasers no longer work; moisture in the air deflects the light, and JADAMS II's go back to being plain old dumb bombs with a $50,000 kit on them.
Blog text (14) -
The military deployed a fleet of dumb bombs during the airstrike to reach the enemy positions.
-
He could hear the distant thud of dumb bombs falling as the aircraft flew overhead.
-
The planes released a series of dumb bombs, relying on gravity to hit their targets.
Synonyms
1
6.2
A bomb dropped from a plane that falls to a target without guidance
Antonyms
How Guided
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is directly compositional: 'dumb' (not smart) modifies 'bomb', so a learner can infer it refers to a bomb that is not 'smart'—i.e. one without guidance. This metaphorical extension of 'dumb' to mean 'not technologically/externally guided' follows common adjective+noun patterns (cf. 'dumbphone' vs 'smartphone') and should be understandable to a B1 learner who knows both constituents.
Etymology
Dumb bomb: The noun dumb bomb comes from comparing a bomb that is 'dumb', unable to steer, with a 'smart' bomb that can guide itself. Picture a heavy bomb dropped from a plane with no steering, and you can see why dumb bomb means a bomb 'not guided' to its target.