bazooka

noun

ba·​zoo·​ka bə-ˈzü-kə How to pronounce bazooka (audio)
: a light portable antitank weapon consisting of an open-breech smoothbore firing tube that launches an armor-piercing rocket and is fired from the shoulder

Examples of bazooka in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Ueda’s predecessor Haruhiko Kuroda launched a shock-and-awe stimulus bazooka in April 2013 with the aim of achieving 2% inflation in two years. Toru Fujioka, Fortune Asia, 19 Mar. 2024 This week’s military projectile discovery was an old, heavily deteriorated bazooka round potentially from the World War II era, the state police spokesman, Dave Procopio, told CNN on Wednesday. Nic F. Anderson, CNN, 7 Mar. 2024 Why the sushi bazooka is our new favorite kitchen gadget In this episode, The Dallas Morning News food team talks about Steak and Ale memories, fish sandwiches, and their new favorite kitchen gadget: the sushi bazooka. Dallas News, 2 Mar. 2023 All of a sudden, David had a bazooka instead of a slingshot. Kevin Sherrington, Dallas News, 26 June 2023 The ad promised that The Committee would collect war toys (two whimsical recommendations: a plastic bazooka and an atomic tank that ejects napalm) for the Defense Department and drop them on the Pentagon from a helicopter. Richard Sandomir, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2023 In cities like Khartoum, the fighting has taken place in heavily populated areas, with both sides deploying machine guns, bazookas, rockets and, in the case of the army, warplanes. Michael Crowley, New York Times, 11 May 2023 SpaceX’s bazooka over in Texas still has some kinks to work out, but the company still has its big guns in the form the Falcon Heavy rocket set for its sixth ever launch from the Space Coast. Richard Tribou, Orlando Sentinel, 26 Apr. 2023 Richardson is an electric runner with a bazooka for an arm, but his 53.8% completion percentage and limited experience are concerns. Detroit Free Press, 21 Apr. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bazooka.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

after bazooka, a brass instrument popularized by the radio comedian Bob Burns during the 1930's, probably extended form of bazoo "kazoo," of imitative origin

First Known Use

1942, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bazooka was in 1942

Dictionary Entries Near bazooka

Cite this Entry

“Bazooka.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bazooka. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

bazooka

noun
ba·​zoo·​ka bə-ˈzü-kə How to pronounce bazooka (audio)
: a light portable shoulder weapon that consists of an open tube and shoots an explosive rocket able to pierce the armor of tanks
Etymology

from bazooka, name of a homemade musical instrument consisting of pipes and a funnel

More from Merriam-Webster on bazooka

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!