strafed; strafing
: to rake (ground troops, an airfield, etc.) with fire at close range and especially with machine-gun fire from low-flying aircraft
strafe
noun
strafer
noun
Examples of strafe in a Sentence
The planes strafed the town.
Recent Examples on the Web
On November 10, 1945, Allied aircraft bombed and strafed the East Indies city of Surabaya after nationalists killed a British brigadier.
—
Max Hastings, Foreign Affairs, 15 Oct. 2013
In December, while the Panay was carrying out the evacuation of Americans from China, Japanese planes bombed and strafed the boat.
—Richard Goldstein, New York Times, 8 June 2024
People were trapped in the open, incinerated, asphyxiated and strafed with machine-gun fire.
—Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024
Japanese planes bombed the ship transporting her and strafed the lifeboats.
—Michael Washburn, National Review, 31 Dec. 2023
See all Example Sentences for strafe 
Max Hastings, Foreign Affairs, 15 Oct. 2013
In December, while the Panay was carrying out the evacuation of Americans from China, Japanese planes bombed and strafed the boat.
—Richard Goldstein, New York Times, 8 June 2024
People were trapped in the open, incinerated, asphyxiated and strafed with machine-gun fire.
—Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024
Japanese planes bombed the ship transporting her and strafed the lifeboats.
—Michael Washburn, National Review, 31 Dec. 2023
See all Example Sentences for strafe
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'strafe.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Strafe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/strafe. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
strafe
verb
strafed; strafing
: to fire on at close range and especially with machine guns from low-flying airplanes
strafed the village
strafer
noun
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