air raid
32
4.2
- noun
- /ɛr reɪd/
:
bombardeo aéreo
- At school, we had an air raid that seemed to go on forever.
- air raid drill
- air raid shelter
- air raid warning
And you know, like a funny story when the, the air raid sirens would go off every night.
- And you know, like a funny story when the, the air raid sirens would go off every night.
- Then came in the air raids, followed by tanks and troops rolling in.
- That same day, four Americans were killed in an air raid on a British base hospital in France, the first American army personnel to die in France during the war.
Examples
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We've had so many air raids.
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The military launched several air raids targeting enemy supply lines during the operation.
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"There were air raids all over the country."
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And that night... while we were out having dinner... there was an air raid, and the building that we were in got a direct hit.
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We reported to the police that our house was destroyed by air raids.
Academic text (2005) -
The lounge has been closed ever since the air raids started.
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Even schools were targets for air raids; fortunately, there were no students.
Academic text (2005) -
Then came in the air raids, followed by tanks and troops rolling in.
-
That same day, four Americans were killed in an air raid on a British base hospital in France, the first American army personnel to die in France during the war.
-
The sound of an explosion and air raid sirens was heard throughout the city.
Blog text (10)
Synonyms
942
3.4
An attack using bombs to damage or scare people
348
7.0
A military attack to destroy a specific target
173
4.5
A military attack by planes that drop bombs or fire missiles at targets on the ground
47
7.0
A long, heavy attack with bombs or large guns on a place
13
3.7
An attack by military planes on the enemy
Antonyms
How Severe
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'an attack by military aircraft' is directly and compositionally derived from 'air' (pertaining to aircraft/airborne) + 'raid' (a sudden surprise attack). This modifier-noun combination follows a common, cross-linguistically transparent pattern (an attack conducted by X), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
The noun air raid comes from the simple image of enemy airplanes making a raid, flying over and dropping bombs on towns. During World War II people hid in shelters when sirens warned of an air raid, so the phrase means 'an attack by military aircraft'.