: a dam placed in a watercourse to increase the depth of water or to divert it into a channel for navigation or irrigation
1
military
: artillery fire laid on a line (see line entry 1 sense 6c) close to friendly troops to screen and protect them
The enemy laid down a barrage of machine-gun fire as our platoon approached the bridge.
2
: a vigorous or rapid outpouring or projection of many things at once
a barrage of phone calls
unleashed a barrage of insults
an oratorical barrage
barraged; barraging
: to deliver a barrage (see barrage entry 2) against
were barraged with bullets
being barraged by campaign ads before the election
Examples of barrage in a Sentence
Noun (2)
the teacher's rapid-fire barrage of homework assignments went by too fast for me to write them all down
Verb
the star athlete was barraged with requests for an autograph
Recent Examples on the Web
Matt Fleming, Oc Register, 3 Apr. 2026
However, the constant barrage of stories that focus only on wrongdoing within our law enforcement agencies, when left completely unchecked by ones that celebrate the many valuable (and, in some cases, heroic) contributions, serve only to unfairly fan the flames of distrust and vitriol.
—Craig MacLellan, Boston Herald, 3 Apr. 2026
Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 28 Mar. 2026
Checchi, in particular, barraged voters with an unrelenting flood of ads.
—Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for barrage
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Noun
But if the lawmaker gets too cozy with the enemy, by saying something nice about him or appearing in public with her, supporters often punish the lawmaker with a barrage of abuse online or by supporting a primary opponent.
—Matt Fleming, Oc Register, 3 Apr. 2026
However, the constant barrage of stories that focus only on wrongdoing within our law enforcement agencies, when left completely unchecked by ones that celebrate the many valuable (and, in some cases, heroic) contributions, serve only to unfairly fan the flames of distrust and vitriol.
—Craig MacLellan, Boston Herald, 3 Apr. 2026
Verb
Checchi, in particular, barraged voters with an unrelenting flood of ads.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 28 Mar. 2026
Checchi, in particular, barraged voters with an unrelenting flood of ads.
—Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for barrage
Cite this Entry
“Barrage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/barrage. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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