thermobaric

adjective

ther·​mo·​bar·​ic ˌthər-mə-ˈbär-ik 

-ˈber-ik,

-ˈba-rik

of a weapon

: containing a charge of fuel designed to ignite and combine with oxygen present in the atmosphere to produce a prolonged explosion

… thermobaric weapons create extreme heat along with a devastating blast wave particularly when employed in enclosed spaces …

—Theodore L. Gatchel

Examples of thermobaric in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The basic 110-pound blast-fragmentation version has been joined by shaped charge, fragmentation-incendiary, thermobaric and even what looks like a napalm version spreading a self-igniting liquid which is impossible to put out. —David Hambling, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025

Some are armed with thermobaric warheads, are armored and some are powered by jet engines. —David Brennan, ABC News, 1 Aug. 2025

Russia has used thermobaric weapons in Ukraine, Western analysis confirmed early on in Moscow's full-scale invasion of its neighbor. —Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 July 2025

On the night of February 28, Ukraine's Defense Forces destroyed a thermobaric munitions storage near Selydove, Donetsk region. —Maya Mehrara, Newsweek, 28 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Russian termobaricheskiy, from termo- thermo- + -baricheskiy, as in izobaricheskiy isobaric

First Known Use

1998, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for thermobaric

• isobaric
• amharic
• barbaric
• pindaric
• barrack