bunker

American  

[buhng-ker] / ˈbʌŋ kər /

noun

1. a large bin or receptacle; a fixed chest or box.

   a coal bunker.

2. a fortification set mostly below the surface of the ground with overhead protection provided by logs and earth or by concrete and fitted with openings through which guns may be fired.

3. Golf. any obstacle, as a sand trap or mound of dirt, constituting a hazard.

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verb (used with object)

1. Nautical.

   1. to provide fuel for (a vessel).

   2. to convey (bulk cargo, except grain) from a vessel to an adjacent storehouse.

2. Golf. to hit (a ball) into a bunker.

3. to equip with or as if with bunkers.

   to bunker an army's defenses.

bunker British  

/ ˈbʌŋkə /

noun

1. a large storage container or tank, as for coal

2. Also called (esp US and Canadian): sand trap.  an obstacle on a golf course, usually a sand-filled hollow bordered by a ridge

3. an underground shelter, often of reinforced concrete and with a bank and embrasures for guns above ground

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verb

1. (tr) golf

   1. to drive (the ball) into a bunker

   2. (passive) to have one's ball trapped in a bunker

2. (tr) nautical

   1. to fuel (a ship)

   2. to transfer (cargo) from a ship to a storehouse

Etymology

Origin of bunker

First recorded in 1750–60; earlier bonkar ( Scots ) “box, chest, serving also as a seat,” of obscure origin

Example Sentences

With match play, players compete to win individual holes, so if you land in an unraked bunker, and need three strokes to get out of it, you simply lose that hole.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

Everyday golfers are usually thrilled—and surprised—if they are able to escape a bunker in one shot, let alone get the ball close enough to the hole for a one-putt to save par.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

The price of the bunker fuel that powers ships nearly doubled after the war broke out, peaking at $1,053 per metric tonne on March 20.

From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026

The people living in the bunker have been living a very easy life.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026

He wouldnt stay in the bunker by himself.

From "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy

Related Words

• dugout
• fortification
• shelter