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Synonyms

magnetic mine

American  

noun

Navy.

  1. an underwater mine set off by any disturbance of its magnetic field, as by the metal hull of a ship.

magnetic mine British  

noun

  1. a mine designed to activate when a magnetic field such as that generated by the metal of a ship's hull is detected

"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

Etymology

Origin of magnetic mine

First recorded in 1935–40

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.

Honeymooners spy for the British in 1939 Germany to learn more about the Nazis’ new magnetic mine.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 17, 2020

One month after the first live German magnetic mine was captured on Nov. 24, 1939, Britain had produced a completely successful counter-weapon.

From Time Magazine Archive

In his week-end war speech to the Empire, Prime Minister Chamberlain declared: "Already we know the secret of the magnetic mine and we shall soon master it as we have already mastered the U-boat."

From Time Magazine Archive

He could not say that the magnetic mine was beaten, only that "many variants are being developed and applied as interim measures before full scientific treatment can be given to this problem."

From Time Magazine Archive

An improved British magnetic mine was announced, with news that big Bristol Beauforts and Handley Page Hampdens had been sowing them industriously for weeks in German harbors as far east as the Baltic.

From Time Magazine Archive

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.