Broadside

/ˈbrɔːdsaɪd/ · noun

Meaning

(nautical) One side of a ship above the waterline..

Definitions by Sense

1. (nautical) One side of a ship above the waterline.
2. All the guns on one side of a warship.
3. The simultaneous firing of these guns.
4. (by extension) A forceful attack, whether written or spoken.
5. A large sheet of paper, printed on one side and folded.
6. The printed lyrics of a folk song or ballad; a broadsheet.
7. Sideways; with the side turned to the direction of some object.
8. (transitive) To collide with something side-on.

Example Sentences

Broadside! What fools to face our guns!

Although slaveholders managed - through a combination of political compromise and ideological broadside - to contain the threat of a major anti-slavery compaign by fellow Southerners, planters could never be totally sure of non-slaveholders' loyalty to the social order.

Fernández's diplomatic broadside follows the British government's decision last month to name a large frozen chunk of Antarctica after the Queen – a gesture viewed in Buenos Aires as provocative.

He delivered a broadside to the RMT leadership, saying: "This response to a significantly enhanced offer exposes their true priority - using the British public and NR workers as pawns in a fight with the Government.

1977-1980, Lou Sullivan, personal diary, quoted in 2019, Ellis Martin, Zach Ozma (editors), We Both Laughed In Pleasure They were going some 60-80 mph [on a motorcycle] down a 30 mph street, hit a car broadside & Pat pushed against Bert, who was crushed into the side of the car.

[...] the slight fluctuations [in speed] were due to a strong side-wind, which caught the train broadside along exposed stretches of the line.

Synonyms for broadside

Antonyms for broadside

Related Words

Word Forms

• broadsides
• broadsiding
• broadsided

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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