Meaning & use
barrage
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Meanings
nouncountablefigurative
A sudden, overwhelming flood of questions, complaints, or other things that arrive one after another.
Grammar: Usually singular with of: a barrage of questions.
Patterns
- a barrage of something
- face a barrage of something
The minister faced a barrage of questions from reporters.
A barrage of emails filled her inbox after the announcement.
The team met a barrage of criticism after the loss.
nouncountablemilitary
A heavy and sustained attack by guns or missiles aimed at a particular area.
Grammar: Military use: an artillery barrage.
Patterns
- a barrage of fire
- an artillery barrage
An artillery barrage began at dawn.
The troops sheltered through a barrage of shells.
The barrage lasted for six hours.
nouncountabletechnical
A dam or structure built across a river to control the flow or raise the water level.
Grammar: Engineering sense, rarely used.
Patterns
- a tidal barrage
The engineers proposed a tidal barrage across the estuary.
A barrage was built to guard the city from flooding.
The old barrage controls the river's height.
verbtransitive
To attack or overwhelm someone with a rapid series of questions, shots, or complaints.
Grammar: Takes an object: barrage the minister with questions.
Patterns
- barrage someone with something
Fans barraged the singer with messages.
Customers barraged the helpline with calls.
Reporters barraged the coach with questions.
Word forms
| plural | barrages |
|---|---|
| third person singular | barrages |
| past tense | barraged |
| -ing form | barraging |
Common combinations
- a barrage of questions
- A barrage of questions greeted the speaker.
- a barrage of criticism
- The film faced a barrage of criticism.
- artillery barrage
- An artillery barrage shook the valley.
- tidal barrage
- A tidal barrage can generate electricity.
- a constant barrage
- We faced a constant barrage of noise from the building site.
- a barrage of advertising
- Children face a barrage of advertising online.
Synonyms and how they differ
- onslaught
- Onslaught describes a fierce attack or flood of something that is hard to resist, often with more violence than barrage.
- volley
- A volley is one burst of shots, words or questions, while barrage lasts longer and keeps coming.
- deluge
- Deluge suggests an overwhelming flood of something and often means sheer quantity, but barrage suggests it is aimed at someone.
- stream
- Stream is a steady flow and not necessarily hostile, but barrage is forceful.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: barrage or barrier? barrage or garage?
barrage vs barrier
A barrier is something that blocks the way, whereas a barrage is a heavy stream of attacks or things.
barrage vs garage
Garage is a building for cars and the sound ending is similar, but it is unrelated in meaning.
Practice
Which phrase fits best? The lawyer faced a ___ of questions.
Choose one answer.
Barrage of questions is the standard phrase for a heavy, rapid series. Barrier does not take of questions, and trickle suggests a small amount.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “barrage”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.