depth charge

noun

: an antisubmarine weapon that consists essentially of a drum filled with explosives which is dropped near a target and descends to a predetermined depth where it explodes

called also depth bomb

Examples of depth charge in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In this survey, the Scripps researchers identified munition boxes, Hedgehog and Mark 9 depth charges and Mark 1 smoke floats, chemical smoke munitions used to conceal a ship’s movement or mark locations. Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Jan. 2024 Among the munitions documented were Hedgehog and Mark 9 depth charges — explosives that were typically dropped from warships to attack submarines. Rosanna Xia, Los Angeles Times, 5 Jan. 2024 Imaginatively adapted from a Japanese novel, this emotional depth charge plumbs the complex relationships between gay men and their parents with uncommon compassion, while also reflecting on the scars of a generation that came of age during the AIDS crisis. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Dec. 2023 Bolts blasted out of their sockets and the solid metal hull dented inward, as if a depth charge had gone off nearby. WIRED, 15 June 2023 This is a juicy, fruity light red fruit matrix with a depth charge of lime and acidity melded with cocoa on the finish. Tom Mullen, Forbes, 11 Feb. 2023 The Navy also deployed 600 W34s in the Mk-105 Hotpoint gravity bomb (1958-65), which could also be configured as a depth charge, and 600 in the Mk-45 Anti-Submarine Torpedo or ASTOR (1963-76). Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 23 Dec. 2022 It was armed with two five-inch guns, four 40-millimeter anti-aircraft guns, ten 20-millimeter anti-aircraft guns, three 21-inch torpedo tubes for surface attack, and three depth charge projectors for anti-submarine attack. Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 28 June 2022 This retrospective sent a collective shivering depth charge through viewers’ psyches and showed that Neel was the painter par excellence of modern life. Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 17 Dec. 2021

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

Word History

First Known Use

1916, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of depth charge was in 1916

Dictionary Entries Near depth charge

Cite this Entry

“Depth charge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/depth%20charge. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

depth charge

noun
: an explosive device for underwater use especially against submarines that is designed to detonate at a predetermined depth

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