minesweeper

[ mahyn-swee-per ]

/ ˈmaɪnˌswi pər /

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noun Navy.

a specially equipped ship used for dragging a body of water in order to remove or destroy enemy mines.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of minesweeper

First recorded in 1900–05; mine² + sweeper

OTHER WORDS FROM minesweeper

minesweeping, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use minesweeper in a sentence

Almost our last was what a North Country trawler called a "common sweeper," that is to say, a mine-sweeper.
Sea Warfare|Rudyard Kipling
The commander of the mine-sweeper named it, adding the distance he had been ordered to go.
Dave Darrin After The Mine Layers|H. Irving Hancock
As a result of the message, and aided by the "blimp" overhead, the snub-nosed mine-sweeper steamed into position.
Dave Darrin After The Mine Layers|H. Irving Hancock
The mine-sweeper, having passed on ahead, now circled back, her crew grinning at sight of the mass of floating oil.
Dave Darrin After The Mine Layers|H. Irving Hancock

As the signal flashed from the mine-sweeper ahead Dave passed the order for the bomb instantly after ordering full speed.
Dave Darrin After The Mine Layers|H. Irving Hancock

British Dictionary definitions for minesweeper

minesweeper

/ (ˈmaɪnˌswiːpə) /

noun

a naval vessel equipped to detect and clear mines

Derived forms of minesweeper

minesweeping, noun

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