kamikaze

American  

[kah-mi-kah-zee] / ˌkɑ mɪˈkɑ zi /

noun

1. (during World War II) a member of a special corps in the Japanese air force charged with the suicidal mission of crashing an aircraft laden with explosives into an enemy target, especially a warship.

2. an airplane used for this purpose.

3. a person or thing that behaves in a wildly reckless or destructive manner.

   We were nearly run down by a kamikaze on a motorcycle.

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adjective

1. of, pertaining to, undertaken by, or characteristic of a kamikaze.

   a kamikaze pilot; a kamikaze attack.

kamikaze British  

/ ˌkæmɪˈkɑːzɪ /

noun

1. (in World War II) one of a group of Japanese pilots who performed suicidal missions by crashing their aircraft, loaded with explosives, into an enemy target, esp a ship

2. an aircraft used for such a mission

3. (modifier) (of an action) undertaken or (of a person) undertaking an action in the knowledge that it will result in the death of the person performing it in order that maximum damage may be inflicted on an enemy

   a kamikaze attack

   a kamikaze bomber

4. (modifier) extremely foolhardy and possibly self-defeating

   kamikaze pricing

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kamikaze Cultural  

1. Japanese fighter pilots in World War II, trained to make suicide crashes into Allied ships.

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Etymology

Origin of kamikaze

1940–45; < Japanese, equivalent to kami ( y ) god (earlier *kamui ) + kaze wind (earlier *kanzai

Explanation

A kamikaze is a word for either the pilot or the plane used in suicide missions by the Japanese in World War II. Any job in combat is difficult and could result in death, but one duty is considerably riskier than others: being a kamikaze. These Japanese pilots engaged in suicide missions: their goal was not only to harm the enemy, but they sacrificed their lives while doing so, crashing their planes. A kamikaze could be the pilot or the plane, and you can also speak of kamikaze missions. Today, the word is sometimes used for any situation that seems suicidal or risky.

Example Sentences

An Iranian Shahed-136 kamikaze drone costs roughly $35,000 to manufacture.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 13, 2026

The Shahed External link unmanned aerial vehicle is a car-size kamikaze drone that costs tens of thousands of dollars and is used by Iranian forces.

From Barron's • Mar. 9, 2026

The Pentagon is deploying to the Middle East a new kamikaze drone copied from a widely used Iranian version, turning to a crude but effective weapon.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 3, 2025

He also attended a Japanese military school that trained kamikaze fighter pilots, where he was bullied for being Korean.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 15, 2025

Thousands of kamikaze planes, suicide boats, human torpedoes, and midget submarines had been prepared by our enemies.

From "Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two" by Joseph Bruchac