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Synonyms

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.

The bazooka was designed as a deterrent—and it seems to have deterred.

From Slate • Jan. 23, 2026

The real purpose of the bazooka is to bring other countries to the negotiating table.

From BBC • Jan. 19, 2026

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

From Barron's • Oct. 25, 2025

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

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 13, 2025

One end of the tube was wedged between his bars at stomach level, and the other protruded halfway into the narrow gallery space between cell bars and fence, like a miniature bazooka.

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover

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.