dive bomber

American  

noun

1. an airplane of the fighter-bomber type that drops its bombs while diving at the enemy.

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dive bomber British  

noun

1. a military aircraft designed to release its bombs on a target during a steep dive

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Etymology

Origin of dive bomber

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

“I miss him,” Biden said of McCain at the memorial, located near where McCain’s Skyhawk dive bomber was shot down in 1967 by the North Vietnamese.

From Washington Times • Sep. 21, 2023

Biden was ending the trip at the John Sidney McCain III Memorial near where, as a 31-year-old Navy lieutenant commander, his Skyhawk dive bomber was shot down by the North Vietnamese.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 10, 2023

CHAY-DA-GAHI, which translates to "turtle," came to mean a tank, while a GINI, "chicken hawk" in English, became a dive bomber.

From Reuters • Jun. 5, 2014

I once flew on a Caravelle in France that descended for landing like it was a dive bomber.

From BBC • Jul. 4, 2012

This is the best dive bomber that was ever built.

From A Yankee Flier with the R.A.F. by Montgomery, Rutherford George