BARRAGE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does barrage mean? 

• BARRAGE (noun)
  The noun BARRAGE has 2 senses:

1. the rapid and continuous delivery of linguistic communication (spoken or written)

2. the heavy fire of artillery to saturate an area rather than hit a specific target

  Familiarity information: BARRAGE used as a noun is rare.

• BARRAGE (verb)
  The verb BARRAGE has 1 sense:

1. address with continuously or persistently, as if with a barrage

  Familiarity information: BARRAGE used as a verb is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• BARRAGE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The rapid and continuous delivery of linguistic communication (spoken or written)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

barrage; bombardment; onslaught; outpouring

Context example:

a bombardment of mail complaining about his mistake

Hypernyms ("barrage" is a kind of...):

language; linguistic communication (a systematic means of communicating by the use of sounds or conventional symbols)

Derivation:

barrage (address with continuously or persistently, as if with a barrage)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The heavy fire of artillery to saturate an area rather than hit a specific target

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

barrage; barrage fire; battery; bombardment; shelling

Context example:

the shelling went on for hours without pausing

Hypernyms ("barrage" is a kind of...):

fire; firing (the act of firing weapons or artillery at an enemy)

• BARRAGE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they barrage    ... he / she / it barrages   
Past simple: barraged   
Past participle: barraged   
-ing form: barraging   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Address with continuously or persistently, as if with a barrage

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

barrage; bombard

Context example:

The governor was bombarded with requests to grant a pardon to the convicted killer

Hypernyms (to "barrage" is one way to...):

assail; assault; attack; lash out; round; snipe (attack in speech or writing)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

barrage (the rapid and continuous delivery of linguistic communication (spoken or written))

 Context examples 

It seems that magnetic fields have draped themselves over the cold front, acting almost like a shield against the barrage of forces from the rest of the cluster.

(Scientists Surprised by Relentless Cosmic Cold Front, NASA)

The finding offers insight into how our brains are able to focus attention on key tasks amid a barrage of distracting sensory information.

(How the brain pays attention to faces and places, NIH)