Meanings
noundirty bomb (plural dirty bombs)
plural dirty bombs
- A device containing conventional explosives and radioactive material, designed to spread radiation over a wide area.
Without providing evidence, Shoigu said Ukraine could escalate by using a “dirty bomb” – conventional explosives laced with radioactive material.
2022 October 24, Peter Beaumont, “Ukraine war heading for ‘uncontrolled escalation’, says Russia”, in The GuardianSynonyms: radiological dispersal device, RDD, radiological bomb
- A nuclear bomb that spreads radiation over a wide area due to inefficiency or by design.
Synonyms: cobalt bomb, salted bomb · Antonyms: clean bomb
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA device containing conventional explosives and radioactive material, designed to spread radiation over a wide area.
nounA nuclear bomb that spreads radiation over a wide area due to inefficiency or by design.
Similar
Opposite
Translations
Arabic قُنْبُلَة قَذِرَة
- قُنْبُلَة قَذِرَة (qunbula qaḏira)device containing conventional explosives and radioactive material
Bulgarian мръ́сна бо́мба
- мръ́сна бо́мба (mrắsna bómba)device containing conventional explosives and radioactive material
Chinese Mandarin 髒彈 /脏弹, 骯髒炸彈 /肮脏炸弹
- 髒彈 /脏弹 (zāngdàn)device containing conventional explosives and radioactive material
- 骯髒炸彈 /肮脏炸弹 (āngzāng zhàdàn)device containing conventional explosives and radioactive material
Czech špinavá bomba
- špinavá bombadevice containing conventional explosives and radioactive material
Danish beskidt bombe, beskidt bombe
- beskidt bombedevice containing conventional explosives and radioactive material
- beskidt bombenuclear bomb that spreads radiation over a wide area due to inefficiency or design
Dutch vuile bom
- vuile bomdevice containing conventional explosives and radioactive material
Estonian räpane pomm
- räpane pommdevice containing conventional explosives and radioactive material
Finnish likainen pommi, likainen pommi
- likainen pommidevice containing conventional explosives and radioactive material
- likainen pomminuclear bomb that spreads radiation over a wide area due to inefficiency or design
French bombe sale
- bombe saledevice containing conventional explosives and radioactive material
German schmutzige Bombe, schmutzige Bombe
- schmutzige Bombedevice containing conventional explosives and radioactive material
- schmutzige Bombenuclear bomb that spreads radiation over a wide area due to inefficiency or design
Greek βρώμικη βόμβα
- βρώμικη βόμβα (vrómiki vómva)device containing conventional explosives and radioactive material
Hebrew פְּצָצָה מְלֻכְלֶכֶת
- פְּצָצָה מְלֻכְלֶכֶת (ptsatsá melukhlékhet)device containing conventional explosives and radioactive material
Hungarian piszkos bomba
- piszkos bombadevice containing conventional explosives and radioactive material
Irish buama salach
- buama salachdevice containing conventional explosives and radioactive material
Italian bomba sporca
- bomba sporcadevice containing conventional explosives and radioactive material
Japanese 汚い爆弾, ダーティー・ボム
- 汚い爆弾 (kitanai bakudan)device containing conventional explosives and radioactive material
- ダーティー・ボム (dātī-bomu)device containing conventional explosives and radioactive material
Korean 더러운 폭탄, 더티밤
- 더러운 폭탄 (deoreoun poktan)device containing conventional explosives and radioactive material
- 더티밤 (deotibam)device containing conventional explosives and radioactive material
Latvian netīrā bumba
- netīrā bumbadevice containing conventional explosives and radioactive material
Lithuanian nešvari bomba
- nešvari bombadevice containing conventional explosives and radioactive material
Norwegian Bokmål skitten bombe
- skitten bombedevice containing conventional explosives and radioactive material
Persian بمب کثیف
- بمب کثیف (bomb-e kasif)device containing conventional explosives and radioactive material
Polish brudna bomba, brudna bomba
- brudna bombadevice containing conventional explosives and radioactive material
- brudna bombanuclear bomb that spreads radiation over a wide area due to inefficiency or design
Portuguese bomba suja
- bomba sujadevice containing conventional explosives and radioactive material
Romanian bomba murdară
- bomba murdarădevice containing conventional explosives and radioactive material
Russian гря́зная бо́мба, гря́зная бо́мба
- гря́зная бо́мба (grjáznaja bómba)device containing conventional explosives and radioactive material
- гря́зная бо́мба (grjáznaja bómba)nuclear bomb that spreads radiation over a wide area due to inefficiency or design
Slovak špinavá bomba
- špinavá bombadevice containing conventional explosives and radioactive material
Spanish bomba sucia
- bomba suciadevice containing conventional explosives and radioactive material
Swedish radioaktiv bomb, smutsig bomb
- radioaktiv bombdevice containing conventional explosives and radioactive material
- smutsig bombdevice containing conventional explosives and radioactive material
- smutsig bombnuclear bomb that spreads radiation over a wide area due to inefficiency or design
Ukrainian брудна́ бо́мба, брудна́ бо́мба
- брудна́ бо́мба (brudná bómba)device containing conventional explosives and radioactive material
- брудна́ бо́мба (brudná bómba)nuclear bomb that spreads radiation over a wide area due to inefficiency or design
Cite this entry
APA
dirty bomb. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dirty%20bomb
MLA
“dirty bomb.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dirty%20bomb. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dirty bomb,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dirty%20bomb.
Source: dirty bomb on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.