Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

Pearl Harbor

noun

Definition of Pearl Harbor

: a surprise attack often with devastating effect

Origin and Etymology of pearl harbor

Pearl Harbor, Oahu, Hawaii, American naval station attacked without warning by the Japanese on December 7, 1941

Pearl Harbor

geographical name

Definition of Pearl Harbor

inlet of the Pacific on the southern coast of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu; site of a U.S. Navy base
Note: The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 precipitated the U.S. entry into World War II.

Learn More about pearl harbor

  1. See words that rhyme with Pearl Harbor

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up Pearl Harbor? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

festinate

play

to hasten

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. exculpatory 'tending or serving to exculpate'

  2. ideologue 'an often blindly partisan advocate or adherent of a particular ideology'

  3. socialism 'a way of organizing a society in which major industries are owned and controlled by the government'

  4. uphold 'to let stand'

  5. due process 'a course of formal proceedings (as judicial proceedings)'

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Pearl Harbor

Test Your Vocabulary

Test Your Emoji Exceptionalism

  • test-your-emoji-exceptionalism-written-with-a-lot-of-emoji
  • What is this emoji intended to represent: 🤳
True or False

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ
Citation

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games