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air raid
noun
: an attack by armed airplanes on a surface target
—usually hyphenated when used attributively
air-raid shelter
Examples of air raid in a Sentence
Much of the city was destroyed in an air raid.
Recent Examples on the Web
Today in history On this day in 1915, Germany carried out its first air raid on Britain during World War I as a pair of Zeppelins dropped bombs onto Great Yarmouth and King’s Lynn in England.
—Lorenzino Estrada, The Arizona Republic, 12 June 2024
In this way, war became total, leading to the massive air raids of World War II and the U.S. decision to drop two atomic bombs on Japan in 1945.
—Lawrence D. Freedman, Foreign Affairs, 17 Feb. 2023
The Thunderbolt siren first came on the market in the 1950s as a Cold War-era air raid siren and was later reissued as a multipurpose warning system for all kinds of disasters, both natural and man-made.
—Cody Copeland, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 May 2024
That morning, as air raid sirens blared, rockets pierced the sky and sporadic gunfire ricocheted off walls, Mr. Adar left his wife and children in their house’s small safe room and went out to join the kibbutz’s armed emergency response team.
—Adam Sella, New York Times, 26 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for air raid
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'air raid.' 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
1909, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near air raid
Cite this Entry
“Air raid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/air%20raid. Accessed 18 Jun. 2024.
Kids Definition
air raid
noun
: an attack by armed airplanes on a surface target
More from Merriam-Webster on air raid
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for air raid
Britannica English: Translation of air raid for Arabic Speakers
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