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.

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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)

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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.

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Hiroshima ² Cultural  

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

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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

A team from Kyoto University and Hiroshima University set out to solve that missing piece.

From Science Daily • May 13, 2026

The United States is the only country to have used nuclear weapons in combat, obliterating the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II, killing some 214,000 people.

From Barron's • Apr. 23, 2026

While in Japan in 2023, he taunted locals with, among other things, his comments on the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during the final days of World War Two.

From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026

The 1945 bombing of Nagasaki, and Hiroshima before it, brought an end to Imperial Japan’s brutal march across Asia and turned generations of Japanese against the militarism that led their country to ruin.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 28, 2026

Papa wouldn’t come; he would be looking for work, maybe in Hiroshima.

From "A Place to Belong" by Cynthia Kadohata