cluster bomb

noun

: a canister of small individual bombs that is dropped from an aircraft

Examples of cluster bomb in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Israel launched airstrikes on the capital Sana'a in response, with The Times of Israel reporting that the Houthis used a projectile with a cluster bomb warhead, damaging a home in central Israel. Amira El-Fekki‎, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Aug. 2025 Both Ukrainian and Russian forces have done so on many occasions, but these have been to turn the drones into steerable cluster bombs to attack personnel on the ground. New Atlas, 24 Aug. 2025 Land mines and cluster bomb treaties that affect millions globally have been challenged further, and the front line has expanded since the last bout of conflict in 2011, when fighting was largely limited to Thailand’s Sisaket province. Christopher Cottrell, Christian Science Monitor, 28 July 2025 Under some conditions, Varma can now consider investing in such a manufacturer if, for example, the controversial weapons such as cluster bombs account for no more than 5 percent of sales. Lara Jakes, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for cluster bomb

Word History

First Known Use

1939, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cluster bomb was in 1939

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cluster bomb.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cluster%20bomb. Accessed 21 Jan. 2026.

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