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bomb out

B2 neutral separable both
In simple words

To destroy a place by dropping bombs, or to fail badly at something.

Literal meaning: To force someone out of a building by bombing it.

Meanings

1 B2 neutral

To destroy a building or area by bombing, or to force people to leave by bombing their home.

"Thousands of families were bombed out of their homes during the Blitz."

"Many of them had been bombed out and had nowhere to live."

— George Orwell, 'The Lion and the Unicorn' (1941)
Grammar: separable
2 B2 idiomatic informal

(Informal) To fail completely or to be eliminated from a competition or process.

"She bombed out in the second round of the singing competition after a string of wrong notes."

Grammar: inseparable
Usage notes

The literal sense (wartime destruction by bombing) is common in historical and military contexts. The figurative sense (failing completely or being knocked out of a competition) is used informally in sports and business. 'Bombed out' as an adjective is very common in historical descriptions.

Commonly used with

building city competition interview exam business

Forms

Base
bomb out
I/you/we/they
3rd person
bombs out
he/she/it
Past simple
bombed out
yesterday
Past participle
bombed out
have + pp
-ing form
bombing out
continuous

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Synonyms

destroy flatten demolish fail flop be eliminated

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