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IED

American  
  1. improvised explosive device: a homemade or makeshift bomb.

    car bombs and other IEDs.


IED British  

abbreviation

  1. improvised explosive device

"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

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

In 2007 I lost both my legs above the knee in an IED explosion in Iraq.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 9, 2023

Avila had lost a leg in an IED attack while serving in Afghanistan in 2011 and suffered two strokes, two heart attacks and brain damage as a result of his injuries.

From Salon • Sep. 21, 2023

So much so that when a character in Ritchie’s new war film set in the country, the affectingly emotional “The Covenant,” mentions an IED, the words “improvised explosive device” helpfully pop up on screen.

From Washington Post • Apr. 19, 2023

He ended up serving three tours of the country, despite being seriously injured by an IED in the city of Basra in 2004.

From BBC • Mar. 19, 2023

Her character, Lynsey, is a soldier home from Afghanistan suffering from a traumatic brain injury after being wounded in an IED attack.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 2, 2022

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