bazooka

[ buh-zoo-kuh ]

/ bəˈzu kə /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bazooka ON THESAURUS.COM

noun Military.

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.

Nearby words

bazin, bazin's disease, baziotes, baziotes, william, bazoo, bazooka, baʿth, bb, bb., bbb, bbbc

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for bazooka

Once he hits eight, we can head on over to Bullets & Burgers, and who knows, maybe they'll let him strap on a bazooka.
9-Year Old With an Uzi? America Is Tougher on Toys Than Guns|Cliff Schecter|August 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
With literal fidelity, the band members perform with an AK-47 and a bazooka strapped onto their shoulders.
Are Narcocorrido Mexican Drug Ballads Really That Bad?|Jimmy So|November 24, 2013|DAILY BEAST
If they were, then we could all run out and purchase a tank, a grenade launcher, a bazooka, a SCUD missile and a nuclear warhead.
Zimmerman Verdict: Actor Jason Alexander Says We Should Blame the Gun|Laura Colarusso|July 15, 2013|DAILY BEAST
If the vice presidential debate were a movie, it might be called Bazooka Joe Rides Again.
Face It, Republicans, ‘Bazooka Joe’ Biden Won the VP Debate|Matt Latimer|October 12, 2012|DAILY BEAST

He went so far as to call Bazooka Joe his “new Mickey Mouse” in an interview with USA Today.
Why Eisner Fits at Tribune|Peter Lauria|August 26, 2010|DAILY BEAST
"Bazooka shells ought to discourage anything," Davis said in an icy voice.
Creatures of the Abyss|Murray Leinster
Ned closed his hand on the tube of the bazooka and it was so much old drainpipe.
Arm of the Law|Harry Harrison
The cab started with a cough and a roar, and shot out of the terminal like a bazooka shell.
Charley de Milo|Laurence Mark Janifer AKA Larry M. Harris
It was the eighth missile from the bazooka which ended the battle.
Creatures of the Abyss|Murray Leinster

British Dictionary definitions for bazooka

bazooka

/ (bəˈzuːkə) /

noun

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

Word Origin for bazooka

C20: named after a pipe instrument invented by Bob Burns (1896–1956), American comedian

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