bar·rage

[buh-rahzh; especially British bar-ahzh for 1, 2, 4, 5; bahr-ij for 3] noun, verb, bar·raged, bar·rag·ing.
noun
1.
Military. a heavy barrier of artillery fire to protect one's own advancing or retreating troops or to stop the advance of enemy troops.
2.
an overwhelming quantity or explosion, as of words, blows, or criticisms: a barrage of questions.
3.
Civil Engineering. an artificial obstruction in a watercourse to increase the depth of the water, facilitate irrigation, etc.
4.
Mycology. an aversion response of sexually incompatible fungus cultures that are growing in proximity, revealed by a persistent growth gap between them.
verb (used with object)
5.
to subject to a barrage.
00:10
Barrage is one of our favorite verbs.
So is kibitz. Does it mean:
to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax.
chat, to converse

Origin:
1855–60; < French: blocking, barring off, barrier, equivalent to barr(er) to bar1 + -age -age; artillery sense by ellipsis from French tir de barrage barrier fire


2. volley, torrent, deluge, burst, storm.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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World English Dictionary
barrage (ˈbærɑːʒ) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
1.  military the firing of artillery to saturate an area, either to protect against an attack or to support an advance
2.  an overwhelming and continuous delivery of something, as words, questions, or punches
3.  a usually gated construction, similar to a low dam, across a watercourse, esp one to increase the depth of water to assist navigation or irrigation
4.  fencing a heat or series of bouts in a competition
 
vb
5.  (tr) to attack or confront with a barrage: the speaker was barraged with abuse
 
[C19: from French, from barrer to obstruct; see bar1]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

barrage
1859, "man-made barrier in a stream," from Fr. barrer "to stop," from barre "bar," from O.Fr. barre (see bar (1)). Artillery sense is 1916, from World War I Fr. phrase tir de barrage "barrier fire" intended to isolate the objective.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
First, she faced a barrage of questions on her financial affairs, if something
  very disorganised can be called a barrage.
For more than a decade he has subjected the simplifiers and exaggerators to a
  barrage of statistics.
The barrage of these ice bullets comes in horizontal, so fierce it's impossible
  to keep my eyes open for more than a moment.
Some designs use a barrage or dam to trap water at high tide.
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