car bomb

American  

noun

1. a bomb placed in a vehicle and wired to explode when the ignition is started, by remote control, or by a timing device.

2. a vehicle containing explosives detonated by remote control or a timing device.

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Etymology

Origin of car bomb

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

The sound captured on the video rules out that the source of the explosion was on the ground, such as a car bomb or suicide vest.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 22, 2023

One group, Islamic Jihad, which is not related to the Palestinian organisation, was thought to be led by Imad Moughniyah, a top Hezbollah commander who was killed in a car bomb in Syria in 2008.

From Reuters • Oct. 16, 2023

His death was the most high-profile attack on a prominent war supporter inside Russia since August, when a car bomb killed Daria Dugina, the daughter of an ultranationalist Russian supporter of President Vladimir V. Putin’s.

From New York Times • Apr. 3, 2023

Mary, her face already scarred by a car bomb in Sri Lanka, has a heart condition, but didn't receive any medicine for it.

From BBC • Sep. 20, 2022

You wrote a book about the history of the car bomb, “Buda’s Wagon.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 25, 2022