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 That is increasingly at odds with the reality of regular air raid sirens and deadly Ukrainian missile and drone strikes on the city, including one on Thursday that killed two people and injured 19. Valerie Hopkins, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2024 An air raid alert continued for five hours in Kyiv, Russia’s primary target. Katya Soldak, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2023 The air raid alert began at about 6 a.m. local time and lasted for about three hours. Yulia Drozd, ABC News, 7 Feb. 2024 Amid Allied air raids, Mica, as her German nurse called her, was sent to the family’s country estate. Robert D. McFadden, New York Times, 2 Dec. 2023 In Kharkiv, air raid sirens sound sometimes more than a dozen times a day, Elmira’s mother Olena Dergousova told CNN. Joseph Ataman, CNN, 12 Feb. 2024 Gaza, unlike Israel, has no air raid sirens or bomb shelters. Abc News, ABC News, 3 Feb. 2024 Another was scrawled with a slogan alluding to the air raid alerts that routinely rattle the capital. Constant Méheut, New York Times, 22 Dec. 2023 The threat of the outside world is enhanced with ominous red and purple lighting, and periods of dialogue and silence are broken with sounds of gunfire, marching soldiers and air raid sirens. Mitchel Benson, Sacramento Bee, 25 Jan. 2024

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 29 Mar. 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
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