air raid

noun

Definition of air raidnext
as in attempt
an attack in which a place is bombed by military airplanes Much of the city was destroyed in an air raid.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of air raid Nearly 200 drones were reportedly used in the attack, marking Ukraine’s biggest-ever air raid on Russia’s capital. — Sam Meredith, CNBC, 19 June 2026 Once, toward the end of WWII, when my father and grandmother were in an air raid shelter, a few Russian soldiers came in, sat in the middle of the room and started cleaning their rifles. — Alex Poppe, Chicago Tribune, 12 June 2026 On May 19, a Romanian fighter jet shot down a Ukrainian drone over Estonia and, a day later, another drone flying toward the Lithuanian capital Vilnius prompted authorities to issue an air raid alert, sending residents rushing for shelters. — CBS News, 8 June 2026 Kuwaiti’s military said forces were intercepting missiles and drones attacking the country, while Bahrain activated air raid sirens and told residents to move to the nearest safe location and follow official instructions. — Michelle L. Price, Fortune, 6 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for air raid
Recent Examples of Synonyms for air raid
  1. attempt
  2. ambush
  3. assault
  4. onslaught
  5. offensive
  6. bombing
  7. invasion
Noun
  • In a confessional at the start of this week’s episode, Luke tries to redress his failure to communicate with Gen as an intentional attempt to guard Gen’s feelings in the middle of the charter.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 14 July 2026
  • Tokyo — Japan may have its first ever female prime minister, but her government’s attempts to avoid a royal succession crisis are making the chances of a woman taking the imperial throne ever slimmer.
    — Hanako Montgomery, CNN Money, 14 July 2026
Definition of attempt
Noun
  • The Cubs were the subsequent, unsuspecting victims of a 5-1 ambush.
    — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 7 July 2026
  • The stare, in this context, was the correct emotional response to an ambush.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 6 July 2026
Definition of ambush
Noun
  • Some potential charges include incitement to riot, vandalism, theft and assault.
    — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026
  • Depending on the circumstances, charges could include incitement to riot, vandalism, theft, assault, reckless driving, unlawful assembly, conspiracy and other offenses, police said.
    — Sydney Barragan, Oc Register, 9 July 2026
Definition of assault
Noun
  • Salgado Araujo’s death has sparked an onslaught of demands for accountability from state and local officials.
    — Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 10 July 2026
  • Others worry the onslaught of information will create a culture of hyperfocusing on data, leading to unnecessary panic and restrictive food behaviors.
    — Lauren Chan, STAT, 8 July 2026
Definition of onslaught
Noun
  • Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed 73,221 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry.
    — Wafaa Shurafa, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2026
  • The Los Angeles Angels are currently the worst team in baseball, plagued by poor offensive, pitching, and defensive.
    — Dan Freedman, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026
Definition of offensive
Noun
  • The motivation for developing context bombing came out of the need for something that stopped attacks, rather than simply warning of them.
    — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 13 July 2026
  • Authorities have not disclosed possible motives for the bombing attack, or the killing of Berezovska.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026
Definition of bombing
Noun
  • In 1940, Goudstikker fled the Netherlands during the country’s invasion by Nazi Germany, leaving behind his collection of some 1,400 paintings, mostly Old Master works.
    — Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 13 July 2026
  • The overhaul, which Zelensky has yet to explain in detail, would be the fourth major reorganization of his government since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
    — Samya Kullab, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2026
Definition of invasion

Browse Nearby Words

air rage
air raid
air raids
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Air raid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/air%20raid. Accessed 16 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of bibelot

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
banana-mirrored
Contradictory Words Quiz Pick out which word means one thing…and the opp...
See All