air raid

noun

: an attack by armed airplanes on a surface target
usually hyphenated when used attributively
air-raid shelter

Examples of air raid in a Sentence

Much of the city was destroyed in an air raid.
Recent Examples on the Web The Thunderbolt siren first came on the market in the 1950s as a Cold War-era air raid siren and was later reissued as a multipurpose warning system for all kinds of disasters, both natural and man-made. Cody Copeland, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 May 2024 That morning, as air raid sirens blared, rockets pierced the sky and sporadic gunfire ricocheted off walls, Mr. Adar left his wife and children in their house’s small safe room and went out to join the kibbutz’s armed emergency response team. Adam Sella, New York Times, 26 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for air raid 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'air raid.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1909, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of air raid was in 1909

Dictionary Entries Near air raid

Cite this Entry

“Air raid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/air%20raid. Accessed 6 Jun. 2024.

Kids Definition

air raid

noun
: an attack by armed airplanes on a surface target

More from Merriam-Webster on air raid

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!