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.

---

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

---

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

A one-way fare to North Korea cost roughly $150 to $215—the higher price granting passengers a softer bed and a door for their bunker compartment.

From The Wall Street Journal

Even from their bunkers, Iran’s remaining leaders can see this Western anxiety.

From The Wall Street Journal

If electricity fails, the bunker's ventilation system can be operated manually using a hand crank — much like in vintage cars.

From Barron's

Ships are fueled by bunker fuel, usually marine gasoil, heavy fuel oil or marine diesel.

From MarketWatch

Four "bunker parties" were held in places such as underground parking lots that have been specially designated as bomb shelters.

From Barron's

Related Words

• dugout
• fortification
• shelter