U-boat

American  

[yoo-boht] / ˈyuˌboʊt /

noun

1. a German submarine.

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U-boat British  

noun

1. a German submarine, esp in World Wars I and II

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Etymology

Origin of U-boat

1910–15; < German U-Boot, short for Unterseeboot literally, undersea boat

Example Sentences

It became synonymous with German military power, producing the Big Bertha gun during World War I, and later building tanks and U-boat components for the Nazis.

From The Wall Street Journal

Known within their own ranks as “U-boats,” they survived under seemingly impossible conditions thanks to the ingenuity and courage of Maltzan and others like her.

From The Wall Street Journal

The German U-boat force maintained a fearsome reputation.

From The Wall Street Journal

For the most part, however, “Wolfpack” chronicles the misery, failure and deaths of U-boat crews.

From The Wall Street Journal

As America entered World War II, New York City was threatened by prowling U-boats off the coast and Nazi spies lodged in Manhattan hotels.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• submersible