airburst

noun

air·​burst ˈer-ˌbərst 

variants or air burst

: the burst of a shell or bomb in the air

Examples of airburst in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Programmable airburst ammunition can increase the likelihood of hitting a target without requiring a projectile to strike it directly. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 6 Nov. 2026

Sonic booms, volcanic eruptions and meteor airbursts can produce similar atmospheric shock waves, potentially creating other natural seismic sources. — Nolan Roth, Scientific American, 23 Aug. 2026

This friendly fire incident, not the first, occurred as the Ka-52, equipped with anti-drone airburst ammunition, was targeting slow-moving Ukrainian drones. — David Hambling, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026

The roughly 20-meter space rock caused a powerful airburst that injured about 1,500 people and damaged thousands of buildings. — Marley Malenfant, Austin American Statesman, 19 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1914, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for airburst

• accursed
• amerced
• cloudburst
• coerced
• conversed
• disbursed
• dispersed
• headfirst
• immersed
• outburst
• rehearsed
• reversed