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strafe
[ streyf, strahf ]
/ streɪf, strɑf /
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verb (used with object), strafed, straf·ing.
to attack (ground troops or installations) by airplanes with machine-gun fire.
Slang. to reprimand viciously.
verb (used without object) strafed, straf·ing.
(of a player character in a video game) to move sideways while keeping a target in view, rather than turning the body to face the character’s destination in a regular forward movement.
noun
a strafing attack.
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Origin of strafe
First recorded in 1910–15; from German strafen “to punish”
OTHER WORDS FROM strafe
straf·er, nounun·strafed, adjectiveWords nearby strafe
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use strafe in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for strafe
strafe
/ (streɪf, strɑːf) /
verb (tr)
to machine-gun (troops, etc) from the air
slang to punish harshly
noun
an act or instance of strafing
Derived forms of strafe
strafer, nounWord Origin for strafe
C20: from German strafen to punish
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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