napalm

na·palm | \ ˈnā-ˌpäm

How to pronounce napalm (audio)

, -ˌpälm also ˈna- also nə-ˈpä(l)m

How to pronounce napalm (audio)

\

Definition of napalm

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a thickener consisting of a mixture of aluminum soaps used in jelling gasoline (as for incendiary bombs)

2 : fuel jelled with napalm

napalm

napalmed; napalming; napalms

Definition of napalm (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

: to assault with napalm

Examples of napalm in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The jellied gasoline -- napalm -- inside the metal casings would ignite seconds after hitting something solid and shoot the flaming gel onto the surrounding surfaces. — Brad Lendon And Emiko Jozuka, CNN, "History's deadliest air raid happened in Tokyo during World War II and you've probably never heard of it," 7 Mar. 2020 Using napalm and other incendiary devices, the ship was set ablaze on Feb. 10, but only one of the five diesel tanks on board was successfully emptied of fuel. — oregonlive, "Napalm, a torpedo and 70,000 gallons of spilled oil: An environmental disaster on the Oregon coast, 21 years later," 4 Feb. 2020 Take the case of Dow Chemical Company, which in 1965 accepted a $5 million Department of Defense contract to manufacture the flammable gel napalm during the Vietnam War. — New York Times, "‘Techlash’ Hits College Campuses," 11 Jan. 2020 The Vietnam War brought the helicopter gunship, napalm, and chemical defoliants. — David Oshinsky, The New York Review of Books, "‘The Human Mind Was Not Made for War’," 28 Jan. 2020 Should the historic photograph of a naked Vietnamese child fleeing a napalm bombing be removed as child pornography? — Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY, "This is how you will appeal to Facebook's 'Supreme Court' when your post is taken down," 28 Jan. 2020 The company halted its production of napalm a year later. — New York Times, "‘Techlash’ Hits College Campuses," 11 Jan. 2020 Mijente decided to target those same schools, saying it was inspired by student protests during the Vietnam War, when students tried to stop Dow Chemical, the maker of napalm, from recruiting on campuses. — NBC News, "Campus activists find a target at the intersection of immigration and technology: Palantir," 2 Dec. 2019 Protesters have increasingly switched to using napalm rather than just petrol bombs. — James Griffiths, CNN, "Protesters try to escape Hong Kong university after violent all-night clashes with police," 18 Nov. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb That bridge was napalmed with Antonio Brown’s gameday tweet on Robert Kraft. — Albert Breer, SI.com, "Jameis Winston, Bruce Arians and the Buccaneers’ Quarterback Situation," 3 Oct. 2019 The entire Texas defense was napalmed in that 45-38 loss at Royal-Memorial Stadium, the line included. — Nick Moyle, ExpressNews.com, "Texas DT Keondre Coburn is feeling himself," 17 Sep. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'napalm.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

14 Mar 2020

Cite this Entry

“Napalm.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/napalm. Accessed 23 Mar. 2020.

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