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death ray
noun
: a weapon that generates an intense beam of particles or radiation by which it destroys its target
Examples of death ray in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The military resists, but human technology is no match for Martian tripods and death rays.
—Kermit Roosevelt Iii, TIME, 31 May 2024
Lee adds a touch of class (and a superfluous third nipple) to the colorful menagerie of big-screen Bond villains with his solar death ray.
—Chris Nashawaty, EW.com, 29 May 2024
Archimedes’ death ray is more commonly speculated to have been an array of several mirrors or polished shields.
—Taylor Nicioli, CNN, 8 Mar. 2024
Sener found the death ray to be one of the more intriguing devices — sometimes referred to as the heat ray.
—Taylor Nicioli, CNN, 8 Mar. 2024
So otherworldly were the fire conditions on Black Saturday that animals and people were killed by radiant heat alone, from hundreds of yards away, as if they had been felled by a death ray.
—John Vaillant, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 June 2023
Oh, and also radio, X-ray imaging, radar, remote control, death rays and wireless communications with other worlds.
—Stephen C. George, Discover Magazine, 14 Mar. 2023
To turn the water content of an average person into gas—leaving the bones behind for allies to find of course—the successful mad scientist’s death ray would have to output enough energy to first boil the person’s water and then turn it into steam.
—Kyle Hill, Discover Magazine, 12 Sep. 2013
As Britain grew increasingly concerned about German air raids, the country’s defense department asked radio physicist Robert Watson-Watt about employing the technology as a kind of death ray to down enemy planes.
—Eric Betz, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2020
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'death ray.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1896, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near death ray
Cite this Entry
“Death ray.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/death%20ray. Accessed 7 Jun. 2024.
Kids Definition
death ray
noun
: a weapon that generates an intense beam of particles or radiation by which it destroys its target
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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