: a rocket-propelled bomb of German invention

Examples of V-2 in a Sentence

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The scene in Oppenheimer in which Borden recalls being in a plane, watching German V-2 rockets fly overhead toward England, is so crucial for your character, who became obsessed with the strategic implications of such weapons for U.S. security. Isaac Feldberg, Vulture, 19 Apr. 2024 Many of them had been forced to work as slaves on the V-2 projects. John Wenz, Discover Magazine, 24 July 2018 This launched the beginning of V-2 rocket development in the 1930s and ultimately led to the bombing of Britain during World War II, the development of Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles, and ultimately Sputnik and the space race of the 1960s. Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 5 Aug. 2023 During World War II, the development of missiles like the V-2 helped offensive operations, while a technology like radar bolstered defense. Mustafa Suleyman, WIRED, 6 Sep. 2023 Located in New Mexico, White Sands is a huge proving ground where the U.S. military has tested everything from nuclear weapons to V-2 rockets. Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 18 July 2023 In fact, Nazi Germany used one of the first functional modern rockets, the V-2, to terrorize European cities toward the end of World War II. Charlie Wood, Popular Science, 16 Oct. 2020 Ultimately, tens of thousands of slave laborers worked on the V-2 at no fewer than three separate sites. David Axe, Forbes, 19 Apr. 2023 German rocket scientist Wernher von Braun, who helped build the V-2 rocket, came to work for NASA in 1945 as part of Operation Paperclip. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 30 Dec. 2022

Word History

Etymology

German, abbreviation for Vergeltungswaffe 2, literally, reprisal weapon 2

First Known Use

1944, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of V-2 was in 1944

Dictionary Entries Near V-2

Cite this Entry

“V-2.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/V-2. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

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