bombsight

American  

[bom-sahyt] / ˈbɒmˌsaɪt /

noun

Military.

1. (in an aircraft) an instrument for aiming bombs at a target, especially a device that can assume complete control of the aircraft during a bombing run, can automatically compensate for speed, winds, etc., and can guide the release of bombs for maximum accuracy in striking the target.

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bombsight British  

/ ˈbɒmˌsaɪt /

noun

1. a mechanical or electronic device in an aircraft for aiming bombs

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Etymology

Origin of bombsight

First recorded in 1915–20; bomb + sight

Example Sentences

Norden Mark XV bombsight wasn’t accurate enough to target precisely an enemy’s industrial capacity to wage war.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

The development of the bombsight was an endeavor almost as elaborate and secretive as the Manhattan Project.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 23, 2024

Michigan Maple wooden floors_designed to mitigate shock waves from bombsight manufacturing and testing_are still abundant, stretching several hundred feet down some corridors.

From Washington Times • Jun. 18, 2016

“The secret radar bombsight built by Philco,” the electronics manufacturer told readers, featured technology that “will bring you the newest developments in the enjoyment of radio and recorded music.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Aug. 26, 2015

For flat runs, he had the Norden bombsight, an extremely sophisticated analog computer that, at $8,000, cost more than twice the price of the average American home.

From "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand