Manhattan Project

American  

noun

1. U.S. History. the unofficial designation for the U.S. War Department's secret program, organized in 1942, to explore the isolation of radioactive isotopes and the production of an atomic bomb: initial research was conducted at Columbia University in Manhattan.

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Manhattan Project British  

noun

1. (during World War II) the code name for the secret US project set up in 1942 to develop an atomic bomb

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Manhattan Project Cultural  

1. The code name for the effort to develop atomic bombs (see also atomic bomb) for the United States during World War II. The first controlled nuclear reaction took place in Chicago in 1942, and by 1945, bombs had been manufactured that used this chain reaction to produce great explosive force. The project was carried out in enormous secrecy. After a test explosion in July 1945, the United States dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima (see also Hiroshima) and Nagasaki.

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Etymology

Origin of Manhattan Project

Extracted from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Manhattan District and DSM (Development of Substitute Materials) Project

Example Sentences

Many members believe they’ve lost loved ones to radiation, or were themselves likely impacted by early-life exposure as children of Manhattan Project engineers.

From Los Angeles Times

This is a modern-day Manhattan Project, again a partnership between the U.K. and the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal

Historically, when technology is decisive in the defense space—think the Manhattan Project or aerospace in the early days of the Cold War—the government and industry align quickly and tightly.

From Barron's

Given the scale of Beijing’s financial and policy support and the secretive nature of some of these programs, it’s safe to say mastering fusion has become China’s Manhattan Project.

From The Wall Street Journal

In Los Alamos: The real home where Robert Oppenheimer, director of the Manhattan Project nuclear-weapon program, lived with his family was used for some interior shots in “Oppenheimer,” starring Cillian Murphy.

From The Wall Street Journal