bunker buster

noun

: a bomb designed to penetrate the earth's surface and explode underground

Examples of bunker buster in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The warthogs are each capable of carrying approximately 16 bunker busters, otherwise known as GBU-39/B bombs. Timothy Nerozzi, Fox News, 28 Apr. 2023 General-purpose bombs have a thin steel casing filled with explosives; the bunker buster had a narrower profile, with a thicker casing and less explosives. David Hambling, Popular Mechanics, 19 Sep. 2022 But in the days after the strike, officers working for the coalition air war saw Islamic State images of the unexploded bunker buster and tried to figure out what had really happened, one official said. New York Times, 20 Jan. 2022 According to the contractor, the objective is the ability to shoot down a U.S. BLU-109 bunker buster bomb at 6 kilometers (3.72 miles). Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 4 Apr. 2019 Vital installations are dug hundreds of feet into the sides of mountains, out of the reach of the biggest bunker busters. David Hambling, Popular Mechanics, 12 Sep. 2017 Much smaller and lighter than existing bunker busters at 2,000 pounds, the new missile can be carried internally by an F-35 and is rocket-boosted to high velocity, possibly even supersonic speed. David Hambling, Popular Mechanics, 12 Sep. 2017 When North Korea fired an intermediate-range missile over Japan on August 29, Seoul responded with a bomber drill with bunker busters. S. Nathan Park, The Atlantic, 6 Sep. 2017 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bunker buster.' 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

1985, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bunker buster was in 1985

Dictionary Entries Near bunker buster

Cite this Entry

“Bunker buster.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bunker%20buster. Accessed 22 Sep. 2023.

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