suicide bomber

noun

plural suicide bombers
: a person who ends or plans to end their own life by exploding a bomb in order to kill other people

Examples of suicide bomber 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.
The explosion, which the BLA said was the work of a suicide bomber, also raised questions about the ability of Pakistani forces to protect high-profile events or foreigners in the country. Abdul Sattar, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2024 In fact, during the interview, the president scarcely mentioned Saddam Hussein, Iraq’s dictator, except to emphasize that suspicions of his complicity should not have surprised anyone given Saddam’s history of funding suicide bombers. Melvyn P. Leffler, Foreign Affairs, 23 Mar. 2023 Crocker, the former American Ambassador who is now chair in diplomacy and security at the RAND Corporation, was at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut when, in 1983, Hezbollah dispatched a suicide bomber who killed more than sixty people. Robin Wright, The New Yorker, 22 Oct. 2024 In 2000: Seventeen American crew members on the USS Cole, a Navy destroyer, lost their lives and many more were injured during a refueling stop at Yemen’s port of Aden, where the ship was attacked by two suicide bombers in a small motorboat packed with explosives. The Arizona Republic, 11 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for suicide bomber 

Word History

First Known Use

1965, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of suicide bomber was in 1965

Dictionary Entries Near suicide bomber

Cite this Entry

“Suicide bomber.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/suicide%20bomber. Accessed 22 Nov. 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!