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bazooka

American  
[buh-zoo-kuh] / bəˈzu kə /

noun

Military.

  1. a tube-shaped, portable rocket launcher that fires a rocket capable of penetrating several inches of armor plate, as of a tank or other armored military vehicle.

bazooka British  
/ bəˈzuːkə /

noun

  1. a portable tubular rocket-launcher that fires a projectile capable of piercing armour: used by infantrymen as a short-range antitank weapon

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of bazooka

An Americanism dating back to 1930–35; from its resemblance to a musical instrument so named, invented and played by comedian Bob Burns in the 1930s and 1940s

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Germany’s promised fiscal bazooka should start firing next year, nudging growth across Europe.

From Barron's

The college game isn’t as simple as getting a money bazooka and showering a fancy name.

From The Wall Street Journal

And when Brooks and Gordon’s screenplay takes a bazooka to that skeleton, they smartly ensure the viewer is on Iris’ side.

From Salon

Another option in the EU's armoury, described as its nuclear option or trade "bazooka", is to impose restrictions on America's powerful service sector as well as intellectual property rights.

From BBC

He threw out two runners trying to steal second with throws that looked like they came out of a bazooka.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.