barrage
noun · verb
Simple meaning
An artificial obstruction, such as a dam.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
berahzhSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
bɚˈɑʒ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
An artificial obstruction, such as a dam, in a river designed to increase its depth or to divert its flow.
military
A heavy curtain of artillery fire directed in front of one's own troops to screen and protect them.
by extension
An overwhelming outburst of words, especially of criticism.
A concentrated discharge of projectile weapons.
Type of firework containing a mixture of firework types in one single-ignition package.
verb
Address with continuously or persistently, as if with a barrage
“The speaker was barraged by an angry audience.”
transitive
To direct a barrage at.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C2 · Proficient
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Typical Use
- Primarily written
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A heavy curtain of artillery fire directed in front of one's own troops to screen and protect them.
Used this way, barrage is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is a military use: it belongs to service and operational language.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Specialist/technical
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Specialized
- Connotation
- Clinical and technical
- Usage feel
- Technical and specialized
Where it naturally appears
- Military
- Historical writing
- News/reporting
- Technical/specialist writing
Usage note
In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use barrage
- “They laid down a barrage in front of the advancing troops.”noun
- “The speaker was barraged by an angry audience.”verb
- “A barrage of questions.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
An elongated tethered balloon or blimp with cables or net suspended from it to deter enemy planes that are flying low.
The heavy fire of artillery to saturate an area rather than hit a specific target.
Jam an entire frequency spectrum.
Electronic jamming over a wide range of frequencies simultaneously.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: artificial obstruction or such as a dam
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.