From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishsalvosal‧vo /ˈsælvəʊ $ -voʊ/ noun (plural salvos or salvoes) [countable usually singular] formal 1 [+of]PM when several guns are fired during a battle or as part of a ceremony2 → opening salvo3 PRAISEsudden laughter, applause etc from many people at the same time
Examples from the Corpus
salvo• But it is difficult to imagine Monsanto's chief executive, Robert Shapiro, frightened by a salvo of well-drafted leaflets.• Suddenly a salvo arrived but did no damage.• In the darkness there is an almighty salvo of machine gun fire, like a cacophony of cracking whips.• Sharpe counted twenty-four gouts of smoke in the first salvo.• In its latest salvo, Vanguard has renegotiated its fees paid to outside advisers who manage its active stock and bond funds.• Clinton fired the opening salvo last month when he included tax cuts in his proposed 1997 budget.• Desktop publishing was only the opening salvo of a fusillade of developments that would change the way people worked.• He directed a series of verbal salvos at his opponent during the debate.Origin salvo (1500-1600) Italian salva, from French salve, from Latin, a greeting, from salvere “to be healthy”, from salvus; → SAFE1 