napalm

[ ney-pahm ]
See synonyms for: napalmnapalmednapalming on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. a highly incendiary jellylike substance used in fire bombs, flamethrowers, etc.

verb (used with object)
  1. to drop bombs containing napalm on (troops, a city, or the like).

Origin of napalm

1
An Americanism dating back to 1940–45; na(phthene) + palm(itate)

Words Nearby napalm

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use napalm in a sentence

  • Urban landscapes had been devastated by napalm and white phosphorous; two major Japanese cities had been leveled by atomic bombs.

  • The napalm caught, tongues of flame and roiling, greasy smoke climbed up to the sky.

    Deathworld | Harry Harrison
  • Clenching the gun in his teeth, the Pyrran clutched a barrel of napalm with his good hand and hurled it over on its side.

    Deathworld | Harry Harrison
  • Two Pyrrans were rolling out drums of napalm with reckless disregard for their own safety.

    Deathworld | Harry Harrison
  • The napalm drums were unloaded without his help and the truck vanished for more.

    Deathworld | Harry Harrison
  • Burning wax was hotter than melted lead, and it stuck to anything it touched, worse than napalm.

    Four-Day Planet | Henry Beam Piper

British Dictionary definitions for napalm

napalm

/ (ˈneɪpɑːm, ˈnæ-) /


noun
  1. a thick and highly incendiary liquid, usually consisting of petrol gelled with aluminium soaps, used in firebombs, flame-throwers, etc

verb
  1. (tr) to attack with napalm

Origin of napalm

1
C20: from na (phthene) + palm (itate)

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

Scientific definitions for napalm

napalm

[ päm′ ]


  1. A firm jelly made by mixing gasoline with aluminum salts (made of fatty acids). It is used in some bombs and in flamethrowers. Napalm was developed during World War II.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.