strafe

verb \ ˈstrāf , especially British ˈsträf \

Definition of strafe

strafed; strafing

transitive verb

:to rake (ground troops, an airfield, etc.) with fire at close range and especially with machine-gun fire from low-flying aircraft

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strafe

noun

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strafer

noun

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Examples of strafe in a Sentence

The planes strafed the town.

Recent Examples of strafe from the Web

So the Japanese thought this would be a lot of fun to come down there and strafe them in the water.

— nancy stearns theiss, The Courier-Journal, "World War II Army Air Corps veteran reflects on mission in Guam," 23 Aug. 2017
To break up the monotony, Nazi planes -- emitting an unmistakable drone that becomes a dreaded harbinger of doom in the film -- occasionally strafe and bomb the sitting British ducks.

— mike scott, NOLA.com, "'Dunkirk' movie review: Christopher Nolan's WWII drama is both stunning, stirring," 19 July 2017
And that’s about all the exposition Nolan supplies. Unseen enemy gunfire drives a panicked Tommy (newcomer Fionn Whitehead) to the beach, where several hundred thousand troops await rescue while the Luftwaffe strafes them.

— jon niccum, kansascity, "What’d he say? ‘Dunkirk’ fights the good fight, but parts are unintelligible," 19 July 2017
Men claw their way on to troop ships; those ships are strafed or torpedoed or sunk.

— gary thompson, Philly.com, "Christopher Nolan's stirring 'Dunkirk': 'Saving Private Ryan' and 400,000 other guys," 18 July 2017
Overhead, a British fighter pilot (Tom Hardy) deals with Nazi aircraft bombing and strafing the survivors and rescuers.

— gary thompson, Philly.com, "Christopher Nolan's stirring 'Dunkirk': 'Saving Private Ryan' and 400,000 other guys," 18 July 2017
That bedlam strafed the heart of the nation’s legislative branch and law enforcement community – to say nothing of the summer therapy provided by the national pastime.

— chad pergram, Fox News, "Scalise downgrade a reminder things aren’t quite back to normal, despite sense of calm," 6 July 2017
On Dec. 7, 1941, his Zero crashed on Ni’ihau, a Hawaiian island, after strafing Bellows Field during Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor.

— peter rowe, sandiegouniontribune.com, "More than 75 years after Pearl Harbor, relics return to dead Japanese aviator's family," 3 July 2017
OK, never mind the au jus shower that strafed an otherwise perfectly presentable pair of cargo shorts, this was beef bursting from its French bread base.

— phil arvia, Daily Southtown, "Italian beef: Sizing up the Southland's favorite sammie," 29 June 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of strafe

German Gott strafe England may God punish England, German propaganda slogan during World War I

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First Known Use: 1915

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STRAFE Defined for English Language Learners

strafe

verb

Definition of strafe for English Language Learners

: to attack (something) with machine guns from low-flying airplanes

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strafe

strafer

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strafe

strafer

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