banzai attack

noun

: a mass attack by Japanese soldiers in World War II
also : an all-out usually desperate attack

Examples of banzai attack in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
During World War II, Japanese banzai attacks were supported by a cultural expectation that saw death as a soldier’s duty and surrender as an unforgivably shameful act. Nayef Al-Rodhan, Foreign Affairs, 12 Aug. 2015 The banzai attacks are extremely costly for the Russians, and help to explain why the Russians are losing around 800 troops a day, according to the Ukrainian defense ministry. David Axe, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 The fighting was fierce and ended with a massed banzai attack — the first such all-out charge that Americans would face in the bloody island-hopping campaign. Jesse Leavenworth, courant.com, 11 Nov. 2020 As the tide rose and the Marines finally began to push in, the remaining Japanese troops launched an all-out banzai attack. Jason Daley, Smithsonian, 28 June 2019

Word History

First Known Use

1944, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of banzai attack was in 1944

Dictionary Entries Near banzai attack

Cite this Entry

“Banzai attack.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/banzai%20attack. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!