napalm

1 of 2

noun

na·​palm ˈnā-ˌpäm How to pronounce napalm (audio) -ˌpälm How to pronounce napalm (audio)
 also  ˈna-,
 also  nə-ˈpä(l)m
1
: a thickener consisting of a mixture of aluminum soaps used in jelling gasoline (as for incendiary bombs)
2
: fuel jelled with napalm

napalm

2 of 2

verb

napalmed; napalming; napalms

transitive verb

: to assault with napalm

Examples of napalm in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Noun
Thermite is just one type of incendiary weapon, with others including napalm and white phosphorus. Brad Lendon, CNN, 7 Sep. 2024 The United States used napalm to burn much of Japan’s capital to the ground in World War II’s infamous Tokyo fire raids. Brad Lendon, CNN, 7 Sep. 2024
Verb
In 1980, the United Nations banned the use of weapons like napalm against civilians, but these regulations don’t apply on the battlefield. Jane Recker, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 June 2022 That bridge was napalmed with Antonio Brown’s gameday tweet on Robert Kraft. Albert Breer, SI.com, 3 Oct. 2019 See all Example Sentences for napalm 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

naphthene + palmitate

First Known Use

Noun

1942, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1950, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of napalm was in 1942

Dictionary Entries Near napalm

Cite this Entry

“Napalm.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/napalm. Accessed 17 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

napalm

noun
na·​palm
ˈnā-ˌpäm,
-ˌpälm
1
: a thickener used to make gasoline jellylike (as for bombs)
2
: fuel made jellylike with napalm

More from Merriam-Webster on napalm

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!