depth charge
nounDefinition of depth charge
: an antisubmarine weapon that consists essentially of a drum filled with explosives which is dropped near a target and descends to a predetermined depth where it explodes
— called also
depth bomb
Examples of depth charge in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The Poseidon can track ships and submarines across vast areas of ocean, deploying missiles, depth charges and torpedoes from a rotary launcher to sink them if necessary. — Rob Taylor, WSJ, "New Zealand Buys Boeing Surveillance Jets to Counter Chinese Buildup," 9 July 2018 The Poseidon has a bomb bay for carrying anti-submarine torpedoes and depth charges, and can carry Harpoon anti-ship missiles on its wings. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "Russian Fighter Flies Within 20 Feet of U.S. Navy Jet," 2 May 2018 The destroyer dropped several depth charges over the side (the depth-charge launcher had yet to be invented). — Joshua Levine, Smithsonian, "The Hunt for the Notorious U-Boat UB-29," 19 Apr. 2018 From Cape Hatteras to the Coral Sea, the Bering Strait to Trinidad, the oceans swallowed hundreds of thousands who perished from shellbursts, fire, depth charges or drowning. — Jonathan W. Jordan, WSJ, "‘World War II at Sea’ Review: A History Written in Water," 18 May 2018 On May 6, a British RAF bomber dropped depth charges and sank it, killing all reported 58 hands. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "Long-Lost Nazi U-Boat Finally Found," 20 Apr. 2018 Greiner's destroyer picked up survivors of the sinking ship and dropped depth charges. — Brian Albrecht, cleveland.com, "38 German subs sank 22 U.S. ships in Battle of the Atlantic 75 years ago," 20 Mar. 2018 That trend pushed nuclear depth charges out of the inventories of the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, and China navies that developed them. — Joe Pappalardo, Popular Mechanics, "What Putin Would Nuke," 5 Mar. 2018 Bombs dropped in practice rounds off North Carolina's coast during World War II have washed ashore, and the near sea floor is littered with bombs and depth charges as a result of submarine warfare. — Alex Horton, Washington Post, "How a 1,000-pound WWII bomb was pulled out of the ground without exploding," 1 Feb. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'depth charge.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
Comments on depth charge
What made you want to look up depth charge? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
Great Scrabble Words—A Quiz
-
- Which of the following Q-without-U words means the number five in cards or dice?
Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
Share depth charge
Resources for depth charge