kamikaze

1 of 2

noun

ka·​mi·​ka·​ze ˌkä-mi-ˈkä-zē How to pronounce kamikaze (audio)
1
: a member of a Japanese air attack corps in World War II assigned to make a suicidal crash on a target (such as a ship)
2
: an airplane containing explosives to be flown in a suicide crash on a target

kamikaze

2 of 2

adjective

1
: of, relating to, or resembling a kamikaze
2
: having or showing reckless disregard for safety or personal welfare

Did you know?

In 1274 and 1281 Kublai Khan, the Mongol emperor of China, sent out great fleets to conquer Japan. Providential storms dispersed the fleets on both occasions and reinforced the Japanese belief that their gods would forever protect them. To the Japanese this salvation was kamikaze, “divine wind.” In World War II Japanese pilots who were willing to give up their lives to help save their country by destroying American ships were the members of a special corps named kamikaze after the storm that had saved Japan seven centuries earlier.

Examples of kamikaze in a Sentence

Adjective a bike messenger who regularly cuts across busy city streets with a kamikaze boldness
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Just a few months back, the U.S. army awarded a $1 billion contract to AeroVironment for its kamikaze drones. Trefis Team, Forbes, 4 Dec. 2024 Read More: Teams Of IDF Drones Work Together In Gaza Combat Missions The drones involved mix of grenade-dropping quadcopters and scout drones which buzz over menacingly looking for targets, plus a few FPV kamikazes. David Hambling, Forbes, 11 Oct. 2024
Adjective
Some took the news as an occasion for some kamikaze-style trolling. Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, 11 Nov. 2022 Models such as the Iranian Shahed-136, which Russia bought by the planeload, are capable of one-way, kamikaze-style attacks. Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 13 Oct. 2022 See all Example Sentences for kamikaze 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Japanese, literally, divine wind

First Known Use

Noun

1945, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1944, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of kamikaze was in 1944

Dictionary Entries Near kamikaze

Cite this Entry

“Kamikaze.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kamikaze. Accessed 11 Dec. 2024.

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