Barrage Meaning
/ˈbæɹɑːʒ/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounAn artificial obstruction, such as a dam, in a river designed to increase its depth or to divert its flow.
nounA heavy curtain of artillery fire directed in front of one's own troops to screen and protect them.
Sentence Examples
The minister had to face a barrage of questions from the press.
The conservationist is against the building of a tidal barrage across the Severn estuary.
Voters have faced a barrage of disinformation, particularly on social media.
CEFR Practice Quiz
During the battle, the enemy launched a heavy ____ of artillery shells at our position.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The speaker faced a ____ of questions from the angry crowd tonight.
Word Origin & History
Unadapted borrowing from French barrage (“barrage, barrier”) c. 1859. Compare barrier.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"The 75s of V Corps fired a standard rolling barrage, while the larger 155 mm and 8-inch pieces fired standing barrages 500 meters beyond the barrage line. For the rolling barrage, one battery in each battalion fired low, bursting shrapnel instead of the standard high explosive."
— 2014, Edward G. Lengel, A Companion to the Meuse-Argonne Campaign, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, page 350:
"Blast after blast, fiery outbreak after fiery outbreak, like a flaming barrage from within,[…]most of Edison's grounds soon became an inferno. As though on an incendiary rampage, the fires systematically devoured the contents of Edison's headquarters and facilities."
— 2006, Edwin Black, chapter 1, in Internal Combustion:
"Lesser lawyers who were vague in oral argument faced a barrage of sarcasm or, if he agreed with them, constant chiding to do better."
— 2016 February 20, “Obituary: Antonin Scalia: Always right”, in The Economist:
"Maybe now her daughter would stop barraging her with questions about her past."
— 2020, Brit Bennett, The Vanishing Half, Dialogue Books, page 259:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
During the battle, the enemy launched a heavy ____ of artillery shells at our position.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The speaker faced a ____ of questions from the angry crowd tonight.