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depth charge
noun
: an antisubmarine weapon that consists essentially of a drum filled with explosives which is dropped near a target and descends to a predetermined depth where it explodes
called also depth bomb
Examples of depth charge in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In this survey, the Scripps researchers identified munition boxes, Hedgehog and Mark 9 depth charges and Mark 1 smoke floats, chemical smoke munitions used to conceal a ship’s movement or mark locations.
—Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Jan. 2024
Among the munitions documented were Hedgehog and Mark 9 depth charges — explosives that were typically dropped from warships to attack submarines.
—Rosanna Xia, Los Angeles Times, 5 Jan. 2024
Imaginatively adapted from a Japanese novel, this emotional depth charge plumbs the complex relationships between gay men and their parents with uncommon compassion, while also reflecting on the scars of a generation that came of age during the AIDS crisis.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Dec. 2023
Bolts blasted out of their sockets and the solid metal hull dented inward, as if a depth charge had gone off nearby.
—WIRED, 15 June 2023
This is a juicy, fruity light red fruit matrix with a depth charge of lime and acidity melded with cocoa on the finish.
—Tom Mullen, Forbes, 11 Feb. 2023
The Navy also deployed 600 W34s in the Mk-105 Hotpoint gravity bomb (1958-65), which could also be configured as a depth charge, and 600 in the Mk-45 Anti-Submarine Torpedo or ASTOR (1963-76).
—Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 23 Dec. 2022
It was armed with two five-inch guns, four 40-millimeter anti-aircraft guns, ten 20-millimeter anti-aircraft guns, three 21-inch torpedo tubes for surface attack, and three depth charge projectors for anti-submarine attack.
—Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 28 June 2022
This retrospective sent a collective shivering depth charge through viewers’ psyches and showed that Neel was the painter par excellence of modern life.
—Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 17 Dec. 2021
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'depth charge.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1916, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near depth charge
Cite this Entry
“Depth charge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/depth%20charge. Accessed 10 Jun. 2024.
Kids Definition
depth charge
noun
: an explosive device for underwater use especially against submarines that is designed to detonate at a predetermined depth
More from Merriam-Webster on depth charge
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about depth charge
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