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Glite Dictionary
Doolittle

Doolittle

3 8.2
An American Air Force general who led the 1942 raid on Tokyo
  • proper noun
  • /ˈduːlɪtəl/
: Doolittle
  • The heroic actions of General Doolittle during World War II are still remembered today.
  • General Doolittle

He was a hematologist, pathologist in Denver, and his uncle was General Jimmy Doolittle.

Examples

  • Directed by Mervyn LeRoy, this film is a documentary-style recreation of the Doolittle Raid, the first American retaliatory air strike against Japan after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

    Academic text (2014)

  • By contrast, Doolittle wrote that using the two atomic bombs on Japan was the right thing to do.

    Academic text (2005)

  • By command of Lieutenant General Doolittle.''

    The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)

  • This much is certain - before the Doolittle raid, America knew nothing but defeat.

    Pearl Harbor (2001)

  • My brother was one of the crew members of the "Doolittle Raiders" that took off from the Hornet.

    Blog text (11)

  • In World War II, when Jimmy Doolittle bombed Tokyo, the press asked Roosevelt where the bombers took off.

    Blog text (21)

  • General Doolittle led the daring raid on Tokyo that boosted American morale.

  • In 1942, Doolittle planned a groundbreaking airstrike against Japan.

Surface Forms

Doolittle main

Etymology

Doolittle comes from old English words do and little, which together mean 'do little' or 'does little'. A helpful way to remember is that even though the name once described someone who 'did little', today Doolittle is a family name, here belonging to the famous pilot General Doolittle.