bombardier

noun bom·bar·dier \ ˌbäm-bə-ˈdir , -bər- \

|Updated on: 26 Jun 2018

Definition of bombardier

1 a archaic : artilleryman

b : a noncommissioned officer in the British artillery

2 : a bomber-crew member who releases the bombs

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Recent Examples of bombardier from the Web

The bombardier was captured after his plane crashed into the ocean.

— lauren beale, latimes.com, "The onetime Hollywood Hills home of the legendary Louis Zamperini finds a buyer," 18 June 2018
During the war, he was awarded the Silver Star for helping to guide his aircraft back to its base in England after having suffered a wound in his throat from a piece of shrapnel that pierced the bombardier bubble of his aircraft.

— Washington Post, "The story must be told.," 15 May 2018
By then, Hogenson was serving as a bombardier in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II when the Soviet Union and America joined the fight against Germany, and that alliance saved his life.

— hal bernton, The Seattle Times, "Seattle’s now-vacant Russian consul residence rekindles memories of family that built it," 28 Apr. 2018
After washing out of pilot school, he was trained as a bombardier and then assigned to a B-24 Liberator.

— peter rowe, sandiegouniontribune.com, "In Ramona, an airplane and an aviator provide living lessons on World War II," 20 Apr. 2018
Between Yale and Wharton, Tim was an officer in the US Navy, serving as a bombardier navigator aboard Douglas A3D Skywarrior aircraft.

— hartford courant, courant.com, "Timothy Cooley," 21 Mar. 2018
Dad enlisted in 1941 in the Army Air Corps as a navigator bombardier with the rank of 2nd Lieutenant.

— courant.com, "Harold R. Frazier," 18 Mar. 2018
Asian bombardier beetles aren’t the only creatures in nature who can survive being swallowed.

— jason daley, Smithsonian, "How Exploding Beetles Can Survive Being Eaten Alive," 21 Feb. 2018
To better understand the beetle’s defenses, two biologists from Kobe University fed a species of bombardier beetle to two different species of toad collected from forests in central Japan.

— douglas quenqua, New York Times, "Toads Eat Beetles. Sometimes, Beetles Make Them Regret Their Meal Choice.," 6 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bombardier.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.