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Hiroshima

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

noun

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


Hiroshima British  
/ hɪˈrɒʃɪmə, ˌhɪrɒˈʃiːmə /

noun

  1. 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

Hiroshima 1 Cultural  
  1. 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.


Hiroshima 2 Cultural  
  1. City on the southwest coast of Honshu Island, Japan; a commercial and industrial center.


Discover More

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.

Many survivors of these bombings have suffered from a variety of diseases caused by radiation, such as leukemia.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Her plans include going to Disney and Universal, attending a sumo event, visiting Fuji and Hiroshima, and hiring go-karts to drive around Tokyo.

From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026

Researchers at Hiroshima University have found that the number of natural teeth a person has may provide useful clues about long-term survival after surgery for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 22, 2026

The launch took place on the day Japan was commemorating the 81st anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

After Takaichi attended the annual ceremony in Hiroshima on Thursday, she sat down for a televised meeting with survivors.

From Barron's ● Aug. 9, 2026

Sitting in his car, he quickly finished the paper, which included vital details on plutonium bomb design, as well as a technical description of the uranium bomb used at Hiroshima.

From "Bomb" by Steve Sheinkin

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