stealth bomber
7
7.5
- noun
- /stɛlθ ˈbɑːmər/
- Specialized
:
bombardero sigiloso
- The attack came in waves, cruise missiles, followed by the F117 stealth bombers with so-called bunker buster bombs.
- B-2 stealth bomber
- F-117 stealth bomber
- stealth aircraft
This is right in line when they were testing the stealth bomber.
- This is right in line when they were testing the stealth bomber.
- OK, So invisibility is a big part of security, OK, Like stealth, just like a stealth bomber, except it's a stealth, don't get bombed.
Examples
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In Desert Storm, the Stealth bomber typically carried two laser-guided 2,000-pound bombs.
Academic text (1991) -
Once their Stealth bombers go up, we will have no choice.
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Their Stealth bombers have left Aviano.
-
The U.S., with its stealth bombers and cruise missiles, has a much greater capability.
Blog text (9) -
During the 1,300 sorties, no Stealth bombers were shot down or even damaged.
Academic text (1991) -
They were standing in front of the newest, most high-tech aircraft in the world, the B-2 stealth bomber.
Fiction book (1991) -
Because of their greatly reduced vulnerability to radar-directed fire, stealth bombers were used in night operations to attack heavily defended targets, such as nuclear, chemical, and biological facilities, command-and-control nodes, air defense radars, command centers, and military production facilities.
Academic text (1991) -
The U.S. military sent a stealth bomber to conduct a reconnaissance mission without being detected.
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During the mission, the stealth bomber dropped precision bombs on enemy targets while remaining invisible to radar.
-
The development of the new stealth bomber aims to enhance military capabilities by reducing the chances of interception.
Synonyms
214
3.7
A military plane that carries and drops bombs
36
4.8
A plane built to fight in war
9
5.6
A very large American military plane that carries bombs over long distances
2
7.1
A plane that avoids radar detection
1
4.8
A fast military plane that hits enemy targets near the ground
1
6.9
A military plane that dives to drop bombs more accurately
How Stealthy
- Specialized
7
7.5
214
3.7
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a bomber designed to avoid detection' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'stealth' (avoiding detection) with 'bomber' (an aircraft that delivers bombs). This noun–noun compounding is a standard, compositionally predictable pattern (and parallels exist in many languages), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should be able to infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Stealth bomber comes from the image of a plane that moves like a thief: stealth means 'hidden' or very quiet, and a bomber is a plane that drops bombs. Imagine it sliding past radar like someone wearing a dark cloak, so the name means 'a military plane made to avoid detection by radar'.