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barrage

 [buh-rahzh; especially Brit. bar-ahzh for 1, 2, 4, 5; bahr-ij for 3]   Example Sentences Origin

bar·rage

   [buh-rahzh; especially Brit. bar-ahzh for 1, 2, 4, 5; bahr-ij for 3] noun, verb, -raged, -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.

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Barrage is one of our favorite verbs.
So is bowdlerise. Does it mean:
chat, to converse
to expurgate (a written work) by removing or modifying passages considered vulgar or objectionable.
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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

Synonyms
2. volley, torrent, deluge, burst, storm.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To barrage
Example Sentences
  • Chinese city freezes plans for chemical plant after barrage of complaints.
  • Students often struggle to get reliable information amid a barrage of in-your-face marketing.
  • Milburn noted that it is important not to barrage consumers.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
barrage (ˈbærɑːʒ)
 
—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
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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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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