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• bombardier
  bombardier

  noun

  the member of a bombing plane crew who operates the bombsight and bomb-release mechanism.
• Bombardier
  Bombardier

  a snowmobilelike vehicle driven by an internal-combustion engine, equipped with caterpillar tracks at the rear, steered by skis at the front, and designed for travel over snow.

bombardier

¹ American  

[bom-ber-deer, -buh-] / ˌbɒm bərˈdɪər, -bə- /

noun

1. Military. the member of a bombing plane crew who operates the bombsight and bomb-release mechanism.

2. History/Historical. artilleryman.

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Bombardier ² American  

[bom-ber-deer, -buh-, bom-bahr-dyay] / ˌbɒm bərˈdɪər, -bə-, ˌbɒm bɑrˈdjeɪ /

Trademark, Canadian.

1. a snowmobilelike vehicle driven by an internal-combustion engine, equipped with caterpillar tracks at the rear, steered by skis at the front, and designed for travel over snow.

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bombardier ¹ British  

/ ˌbɒmbəˈdɪə /

noun

1. the member of a bomber aircrew responsible for aiming and releasing the bombs

2. a noncommissioned rank below the rank of sergeant in the Royal Artillery

3. 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

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Bombardier ² British  

/ ˌbɒmbəˈdɪə /

noun

1. a snow tractor, typically having caterpillar tracks at the rear and skis at the front

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Etymology

Origin of bombardier¹

From Middle French, dating back to 1550–60; see origin at bombard, -ier ²

Origin of Bombardier²

First recorded in 1945–50; after Canadian inventor and industrialist Armand Bombardier (died 1964), who designed it

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bombardier Bombardier

Air Force tasked Edward Ruppelt, a wartime bombardier, with gathering and analyzing pilots’ reports for a program called Project Blue Book.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

Kathryn Jean Holt was about 20, playing the marimba at an Orange County USO dance, when she met Richard Koch, an Air Force bombardier and soon-to-be medical student.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 18, 2023

Charles V. Carlson, a badly wounded bombardier whose B-17 Flying Fortress had been shot down over Stambruges, Belgium, in October 1943.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 24, 2022

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

As a lead bombardier again, Yossarian had McWatt for a pilot, and that was one consolation, although he was still so utterly undefended.

From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller

Bombardier plans to invest $270 million to expand its American infrastructure footprint and hire 800 U.S. workers, days after President Trump seemed to soften his rhetoric against the Montreal-based business-jet maker.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

Shares in Bombardier were down over 4% in the Toronto stock market, and the Canadian dollar was slightly stronger relative to its U.S. counterpart, in trading early Tuesday.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

Bombardier said in a statement that its “plan is to continue to invest in our people, our customers and the communities in which we operate across the country.”

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026

"Bombardier values its great partnership with American companies and its US employees," the company's statement said.

From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026

"Is the court-martial on Bombardier Vogt?" he asked.

From Jena or Sedan? by Franz Beyerlein

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