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

Rather than fight their way into such caverns, U.S. forces have preferred to drop specialized … weapons, including thermobaric bombs that emit clouds of powdered fuel and ignite them, sending waves of heat and pressure through caverns and depleting the oxygen inside.

—Peter Baker and Pamela Constable

Examples of thermobaric in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

FPVs with thermobaric warheads blast Russian bunkers and trenches; flamethrowing FPV ‘dragon drones’ burn up tree lines and defensive positions. —David Hambling, Forbes, 16 Oct. 2024

Some Ukrainian FPVs now carry thermobaric warheads. —David Hambling, Forbes, 11 Sep. 2024

Volumetric weapons are also known as vacuum bombs, thermobaric weapons or fuel-air explosives. —Brad Lendon, CNN, 16 Mar. 2024

Others were equipped with gas canisters, handcuffs and thermobaric grenades designed to instantly turn houses into infernos. —Joby Warrick, Washington Post, 12 Nov. 2023

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1998, in the meaning defined above