depth charge

noun

Definition 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

Still left to remove are the Evolved Sea Sparrow surface-to-air missiles, anti-submarine depth charges, and 76-millimeter cannon shells. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "Watch Underwater Footage from Helge Ingstad—Norway’s Newest Submarine," 19 Dec. 2018 That's where destroyers newly equipped with depth charges will come in, the company said. — Gordon Mah Ung, PCWorld, "World of Warships dives deep for new players, adding submarines to popular naval combat game," 18 Sep. 2018 The show’s inescapable power comes from the emotionalism of great music, and in the current production every bit of its depth charge sounds. — Corby Kummer, The Atlantic, "How Do Carousel and My Fair Lady Fare in 2018?," 8 July 2018 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

These 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.

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The first known use of depth charge was in 1917

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More Definitions for depth charge

depth charge

noun

English Language Learners Definition of depth charge

: a bomb that is made to explode under water at a particular depth in order to destroy submarines

See the full definition for depth charge in the English Language Learners Dictionary

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