atomic bomb: Meaning and Definition of

atom'ic bomb'

Pronunciation: [key]
  1. a bomb whose potency is derived from nuclear fission of atoms of fissionable material with the consequent conversion of part of their mass into energy.
  2. a bomb whose explosive force comes from a chain reaction based on nuclear fission in U-235 or plutonium.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.