Pearl Harbor

American  

noun

1. a harbor near Honolulu, on S Oahu, in Hawaii: surprise attack by Japan on the U.S. naval base and other military installations December 7, 1941.

2. any significant or crippling defeat, betrayal, loss, etc., that comes unexpectedly.

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Pearl Harbor British  

noun

1. an almost landlocked inlet of the Pacific on the S coast of the island of Oahu, Hawaii: site of a US naval base attacked by the Japanese in 1941, resulting in the US entry into World War II

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Pearl Harbor Cultural  

1. A major United States naval base in Hawaii that was attacked without warning by the Japanese air force on December 7, 1941, with great loss of American lives and ships. In asking Congress to declare war on Japan the next day, President Franklin D. Roosevelt described the day of the attack as “a date which will live in infamy.”

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Example Sentences

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's official visit to the US has been overshadowed by President Donald Trump's comment on a key piece of shared history - Pearl Harbor.

From BBC • Mar. 20, 2026

US President Donald Trump on Thursday startled Japan's prime minister by mentioning the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, a seemingly light-hearted remark sure to elicit unease in a country now a firm US ally.

From Barron's • Mar. 19, 2026

President Trump: "We wanted surprise. Who knows better about surprise than Japan? Why didn't you tell me about Pearl Harbor?"

From Salon • Mar. 19, 2026

In 2016, President Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe scattered petals together on the waters of Pearl Harbor to honor the more than 2,400 killed in the attack.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 19, 2026

“The transmitter station went on prearranged war alert status immediately upon news of the Pearl Harbor attack,” added Ensign Clawson.

From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson