hunter-killer

American

[huhn-ter-kil-er] / ˈhʌn tərˈkɪl ər /

adjective

of or relating to a combined naval air and fleet force operating to seek out and destroy enemy submarines.

hunter-killer British

adjective

denoting a type of naval vessel, esp a submarine, designed and equipped to pursue and destroy enemy craft

"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

Example Sentences

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See Examples For:

hunter-killer

But the battlefield has changed substantially since then, notably by the ubiquitous use of Russian surveillance drones and hunter-killer drones.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 25, 2024

Singapore-based security scholar Collin Koh said there was a great deal of interest in the prospect of a new class of Chinese Type 093 "hunter-killer" submarine with vertical launch tubes for guided missiles.

From Reuters ● May 10, 2022

But the current submarine programme, to build a fleet of "hunter-killer" Astute-class boats, has proved problematic.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2016

But Thomas’s promotion, if confirmed, would appear to affirm the primacy not only of special operations within the military, but of JSOC’s hunter-killer units within the bigger special operations community.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 7, 2016

America’s anti-submarine forces, known as hunter-killer groups, used planes, helicopters, warships, and nuclear-powered subs to track down enemy boats.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023