air raid

noun

: an attack by armed airplanes on a surface target
usually hyphenated when used attributively
air-raid shelter

Examples of air raid in a Sentence

Much of the city was destroyed in an air raid.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In July 1944, however, the building was completely burnt out during an allied air raid, destroying a large part of the collection, including all of the fossils from the Egyptian expedition—their only traces left in Stromer's records, illustrations of the bones and a precious few photographs. Michael Gfoeller and David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 16 Jan. 2025 Iran has experienced a series of setbacks, including an Israeli air raid against Tehran’s air defenses and the defeat by Israel of Iran’s main ally in Lebanon, Hezbollah. Keith Bradsher, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2025 When air raid sirens wail and missiles descend on Ukrainian cities, people flock to Telegram groups for real-time updates. The New York Times News Service Syndicate, The Denver Post, 4 Jan. 2025 Nasrallah, who headed Hezbollah for the past three decades, was killed in an Israeli air raid that leveled six apartment buildings in Beirut on Sept. 27. Danielle Wallace, Fox News, 30 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for air raid 

Word History

First Known Use

1909, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of air raid was in 1909

Dictionary Entries Near air raid

Cite this Entry

“Air raid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/air%20raid. Accessed 10 Feb. 2025.

Kids Definition

air raid

noun
: an attack by armed airplanes on a surface target

More from Merriam-Webster on air raid

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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