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Glite Dictionary
airstrike

airstrike

173 4.5
A military attack by planes that drop bombs or fire missiles at targets on the ground
  • noun
  • /ˈɛrˌstraɪk/
  • Specialized
translation icon : ataque aéreo
  • Following this attack, a series of airstrikes was launched, targeting civilian areas throughout the Gaza Strip.
  • NATO airstrikes

You deal with routine airstrikes, You have no way to get out.

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Examples

  • I don't really have a problem with surgical military airstrikes against designated combatants in hostile territory.

    Blog text (11)

  • On Wednesday, the Israeli government launched airstrikes on Gaza, the largest city in the Palestinian territories.

    Blog text (11)

  • We got maybe, what, eight minutes before an airstrike sets the world on fire.

    The Losers (2010)

  • Russia is launching its first airstrike in Syria.

    Hillary's America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party (2016)

  • We must order punitive airstrikes against the SAM site that shot down Major Anderson per our rules of engagement.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • Israel's retaliation has included airstrikes as well as calling up troops for a possible ground invasion.

    Blog text (19)

  • The military launched an airstrike against enemy positions to weaken their defenses.

  • After careful planning, the coalition forces executed an airstrike to target the rebel headquarters.

  • The recent airstrike destroyed a significant weapons cache belonging to the insurgents.

Synonyms

bombing
vsairstrike
942 3.4

An attack using bombs to damage or scare people

means hitting ground targets from planes using bombs or missiles
strike
vsairstrike
348 7.0

A military attack to destroy a specific target

is carried out from planes that drop bombs or fire missiles at ground targets
air raid
vsairstrike
32 4.2

A sudden attack by military planes that drop bombs and shoot at the ground

includes both bombs and fired missiles as means of hitting ground targets
air attack
vsairstrike
13 3.7

An attack by military planes on the enemy

focuses on ground targets using planes that drop bombs or fire missiles

How Destructive

carpet bombing
  • NSFW
2 8.0
bombing
942 3.4
airstrike
  • Specialized
173 4.5

Surface Forms

airstrike singular
airstrikes plural

Morphology

airstrike = air + strike (transparent) = air + strike

The meaning is directly the combination of 'air' + 'strike' (an attack carried out by aircraft), which is readily inferable by learners.

Etymology

Airstrike joins air ('the sky') and strike ('a hit' or 'attack'), so it means an attack that comes from the sky, usually when planes drop bombs or fire missiles.