minesweeper

noun

mine·​sweep·​er ˈmīn-ˌswē-pər How to pronounce minesweeper (audio)
: a warship for removing or neutralizing mines by dragging
minesweeping noun

Examples of minesweeper in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Mexican army minesweepers reportedly deactivated more than 250 antipersonnel mines during that campaign. Keegan Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2024 In July, researchers searching for World War I-era minesweepers that mysteriously vanished in Lake Superior more than a century ago instead found a long-missing ship that sank to the bottom of the lake in 1879. CBS News, 14 Dec. 2023 The Navy is now dependent on an aging fleet of minesweepers that often cannot deploy. Joaquin Sapien, ProPublica, 23 Nov. 2015 In July, researchers searching for World War I-era minesweepers that mysteriously vanished in Lake Superior over a century ago instead found a long-missing ship that sank to the bottom of the lake in 1879. CBS News, 2 Sep. 2023 The museum's Executive Director Bruce Lynn told Gates the minesweepers were built in Canada, because the French shipbuilders were overwhelmed. Frank Witsil, USA TODAY, 18 July 2023 The minesweepers and the Satellite were about the same in length, said Lynn, prompting the hope that the researchers might have finally located one of the minesweepers in September after decades of searching. Lauren McCarthy, BostonGlobe.com, 15 July 2023 Leona Woods Marshall Libby: My brother-in-law was a captain of the first bombs’ minesweeper scheduled into Sasebo harbor. Erica Huang, Scientific American, 20 July 2023 With the new information, Gates and the historical society went out onto the lake aboard the David Boyd, a research vessel, to try to find the minesweepers. Frank Witsil, USA TODAY, 18 July 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'minesweeper.' 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

1904, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of minesweeper was in 1904

Dictionary Entries Near minesweeper

Cite this Entry

“Minesweeper.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/minesweeper. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

minesweeper

noun
mine·​sweep·​er ˈmīn-ˌswē-pər How to pronounce minesweeper (audio)
: a warship for removing or destroying mines

More from Merriam-Webster on minesweeper

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