Military. the member of a bombing plane crew who operates the bombsight and bomb-release mechanism.
History/Historical. artilleryman.
the member of a bomber aircrew responsible for aiming and releasing the bombs
a noncommissioned rank below the rank of sergeant in the Royal Artillery
Also called: bombardier beetle. any of various small carabid beetles of the genus Brachinus , esp B. crepitans of Europe, which defend themselves by ejecting a jet of volatile fluid
From Middle French, dating back to 1550–60; see origin at bombard, -ier 2
First recorded in 1945–50; after Canadian inventor and industrialist Armand Bombardier (died 1964), who designed it
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Dana Andrews is a decorated bombardier who returns to the same soda fountain job he held before the war, discovering that military heroism doesn’t necessarily translate into peacetime opportunity.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
Robert spent 10 years in the Royal Horse Artillery after signing up in 2006, working as an artilleryman firing guns and then being promoted to bombardier.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2025
His bombardier and first real friend in the service, Danny Shapiro, was later shot down on another plane and held as a prisoner of war for a year.
From New York Times ● Dec. 17, 2021
The bombardier stood or knelt down at the nose of the plane and was in charge of releasing the bombs.
From Fox News ● Sep. 16, 2021
Tibbets’s bombardier, Thomas Ferebee, pressed his left eye against his bombsight, giving him a magnified view of the city below.
From "Bomb" by Steve Sheinkin
Lance Bombardier Ciara Sullivan should been riding this year in Trooping the Colour.
From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026
He has been using two Bombardier Globals that he got access to in late 2022, according to Ch-Aviation documents.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026
The company’s website states that the Garden Grove facility manufactures F-35 canopies, as well as transparent windows for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and 737, the Airbus A350, HondaJet and Bombardier C-Series.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2026
A soldier who died after falling from her horse following a display at the Royal Windsor Horse Show has been named as Lance Bombardier Ciara Sullivan.
From BBC ● May 18, 2026
The eldest son, in Orders, was still at Cambridge; the second, after passing through the O. T. C., had sailed for Salonika; the third had enlisted as a Bombardier.
From The Soul of Susan Yellam by Vachell, Horace Annesley
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.
