definitions

Hiroshima

[ heer-oh-shee-muh, hi-roh-shuh-muh; Japanese hee-raw-shee-mah ]
/ ˌhɪər oʊˈʃi mə, hɪˈroʊ ʃə mə; Japanese ˈhi rɔˈʃi mɑ /

noun

a seaport on SW Honshu, in SW Japan: first military use of atomic bomb August 6, 1945.

RELATED CONTENT

Tick, Tock: What Is The “Doomsday Clock?”What is the Doomsday Clock? Doomsday  is one of those evocative words that paint a very vivid picture. As our definition states, “the day of the Last Judgment, at the end of the world; nuclear destruction of the world; given to or marked by forebodings or predictions of impending calamity; especially concerned with or predicting future universal destruction.” As you can see, it’s about as …
READ MORE
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for hiroshima

British Dictionary definitions for hiroshima

Hiroshima

/ (ˌhɪrɒˈʃiːmə, hɪˈrɒʃɪmə) /

noun

a port in SW Japan, on SW Honshu on the delta of the Ota River: largely destroyed on August 6, 1945, by the first atomic bomb to be used in warfare, dropped by the US, which killed over 75 000 of its inhabitants. Pop: 1 113 786 (2002 est)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Culture definitions for hiroshima (1 of 2)

Hiroshima

[ (heer-uh-shee-muh, huh-roh-shuh-muh) ]

A Japanese city on which the United States dropped the first atomic bomb (see also atomic bomb) used in warfare, on August 6, 1945. After the devastation of the bombing, Hiroshima was largely rebuilt.

Culture definitions for hiroshima (2 of 2)

Hiroshima

[ (hir-uh-shee-muh, hi-roh-shuh-muh) ]

City on the southwest coast of Honshu Island, Japan; a commercial and industrial center.

Note

On August 6, 1945, Hiroshima was almost completely destroyed by the first atomic bomb (see also atomic bomb) ever dropped on a populated area. Followed by the bombing of Nagasaki, on August 9, this show of Allied strength hastened the surrender of Japan in World War II.

Note

Many survivors of these bombings have suffered from a variety of diseases caused by radiation, such as leukemia.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.