antitank

American  

[an-tee-tangk, an-tahy-] / ˌæn tiˈtæŋk, ˌæn taɪ- /

adjective

Military.

1. designed for use against tanks or other armored vehicles.

   antitank gun.

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antitank British  

/ ˌæntɪˈtæŋk /

adjective

1.  ATK.  designed to immobilize or destroy armoured vehicles

   antitank weapons

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Etymology

Origin of antitank

First recorded in 1915–20; anti- + tank

Explanation

Anything described as antitank is used to defend against tanks, which are massive, armored vehicles. Antitank armor will withstand a shell from a tank. Tanks are huge, armored military vehicles. Any word with the prefix anti goes against something else. Therefore, antitank measures and equipment are designed to defend against attack by tanks. An antitank gun fires at a tank, hoping to hold it off. An antitank barrier is designed to hold back a tank and must be extremely strong. This word is a lot like antiaircraft and antisubmarine, which describe defenses against aircraft and submarines.

Example Sentences

An Israeli military official said one of the biggest threats is highly accurate, short-range antitank missiles like Russian Kornets and Iranian Almas with up to a 10-mile range.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026

Instead, they are sown with “dragons’ teeth,” concrete antitank barriers typically bound together with cables and threaded with razor wire.

From New York Times • Jun. 7, 2024

Overnight, Israel said a military drone struck a militant cell that tried to launch antitank missiles at northern Israel, near the town of Metula.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 12, 2023

The U.S. would look for it to provide surface-to-air and antitank missiles to Ukraine.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2023

The next one was for the antitank gunner, whose name was Roland Weary.

From "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut