strafe
Also found in: Thesaurus, Acronyms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
strafe
(strāf)tr.v. strafed, straf·ing, strafes
To attack (ground troops, for example) with a machine gun or cannon from a low-flying aircraft.
n.
An attack of machine-gun or cannon fire from a low-flying aircraft.
[From German (Gott) strafe (England), (God) punish (England), a common World War I slogan, from strafen, to punish, from Middle High German strāfen, to contest, admonish.]
straf′er n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
strafe
(streɪf; strɑːf)vb (tr)
1. (Military) to machine-gun (troops, etc) from the air
2. slang to punish harshly
n
(Military) an act or instance of strafing
[C20: from German strafen to punish]
ˈstrafer n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
strafe
(streɪf, strɑf)v. strafed, straf•ing,
n. v.t.
1. to attack (ground troops, etc.) with fire from low-flying airplanes.
n. 2. a strafing attack.
[1915; extracted from the German propaganda slogan Gott strafe England may God punish England]
straf′er, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
strafe
Past participle: strafed
Gerund: strafing
Imperative |
---|
strafe |
strafe |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
Noun | 1. | ![]() |
Verb | 1. | strafe - attack with machine guns or cannon fire from a low-flying plane; "civilians were strafed in an effort to force the country's surrender" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
strafe
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995