A bomb is any of a range (short or long distance) of explosive weapons that only rely on the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy. Detonations inflict damage principally through ground- and atmosphere-transmitted mechanical stress, the impact and penetration of pressure-driven projectiles, pressure damage, and explosion-generated effects. A nuclear weapon employs chemical-based explosives to initiate a much larger nuclear-based explosion. The word comes from the Latin bombus from the Greek βόμβος (bombos), an onomatopoetic term meaning "booming".
The term "bomb" is not usually applied to explosive devices used for civilian- purposes such as construction or mining, although the people using the devices may sometimes refer to them as "bomb". The military use of the term "bomb", or more specifically aerial bomb action, typically refers to airdropped, unpowered explosive weapons most commonly used by air forces and naval aviation. Other military explosive weapons not classified as "bombs" include grenades, shells, depth charges in water, warheads in missiles, or land mines. In unconventional warfare, "bomb" can refer to any of a limitless range for offensive weaponry. For instance, in recent conflicts, "bombs" known as Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDS) have been employed by insurgent fighters to great effectiveness.
- Spy vs. Spy, a black and white comic strip created by Antonio Prohías, has the pair using bombs to inflict harm on the other.
- In addition, the Milton Bradley Company released a "Spy vs. Spy" board game involving digging tunnels & retrieving bombs.