noun · countable / uncountable · rare

bombast

bom·bast

bombast · bombasts

High-sounding words; language above the dignity of the occasion; a pompous or…High-sounding words; language above the dignity of the occasion; a pompous or ostentatious manner of writing or speaking.

UK/ˈbɒmbæst/US/ˈbɑmbæst/

» Tom was full of bombast and pride until a dart flew straight into his forehead.

Meaning

3 senses

(countable, figuratively, uncountable)High-sounding words; language above the dignity of the occasion; a pompous or ostentatious manner of writing or speaking.
(archaic, countable, uncountable)Cotton, or cotton wool.
(archaic, countable, uncountable)Cotton, or any soft, fibrous material, used as stuffing for garments; stuffing, padding.

More definitions

pompous or pretentious talk or writing

Examples

1 sentences

Tom was full of bombast and pride until a dart flew straight into his forehead.
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Origin

From Old French bombace (“cotton, cotton wadding”), from Late Latin bombax (“cotton”), a v

From Old French bombace (“cotton, cotton wadding”), from Late Latin bombax (“cotton”), a variant of bombyx (“silkworm”), from Ancient Greek βόμβυξ (bómbux, “silkworm”), possibly related to Middle Persian pmbk' (“cotton”), from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning “to twist, wind”.

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