minesweeper

American  

[mahyn-swee-per] / ˈmaɪnˌswi pər /

noun

Navy.

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

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minesweeper British  

/ ˈmaɪnˌswiːpə /

noun

1. a naval vessel equipped to detect and clear mines

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Other Word Forms

• minesweeping noun

Etymology

Origin of minesweeper

First recorded in 1900–05; mine ² + sweeper

Example Sentences

"A traditional minesweeper which is conducting slow, painstaking work is going to find it tricky to hunt for mines and deactivate them if they are also under air and surface attack," he said.

From BBC

Navy’s few specialist minesweepers were on the move—to Philadelphia and their eventual decommissioning.

From The Wall Street Journal

The Royal Navy used to keep minesweepers based in Bahrain, but no longer has that capability after it withdrew HMS Middleton.

From BBC

Europe and even the Soviet Union sailed more than 80 warships and minesweepers to escort tankers.

From The Wall Street Journal

But I scanned the room from the corners of my eyes, back and forth like a minesweeper, for Claire the Vengeful.

From Literature