Meanings
plural air-raid shelters
- A structure, often a reinforced underground shelter designed to give protection against air raids.
This tunnel assumed some measure of importance during the second world war, when it was used nightly as an air raid shelter for multiple unit electric trains which were propelled over the branch by a steam engine.
1952 December, R. C. Riley, “By Rail to Kemp Town”, in Railway Magazine, page 8361 more example
With the intensification of air raids on London last September, these tube platforms began to be used as an air raid shelter, and shelterers travelled by train (specially stopped there) from other stations in order to gain access.
1941 July, “Notes and News: New Tube Station at Highgate”, in Railway Magazine, page 329Synonyms: air raid bunker, bomb shelter, bombproof
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA structure, often a reinforced underground shelter designed to give protection against air raids.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna chamber (often underground) reinforced against bombing and provided with food and living facilities; used during air raids
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Afrikaans bomskuiling
- bomskuilingreinforced underground shelter designed to give protection against air raids
Arabic مَلْجَأ مِنَ الْقَنَابِل
- مَلْجَأ مِنَ الْقَنَابِل (maljaʔ mina l-qanābil)reinforced underground shelter designed to give protection against air raids
Bulgarian противовъзду́шно скрива́лище, бомбоубе́жище
- противовъзду́шно скрива́лище (protivovăzdúšno skriválište)reinforced underground shelter designed to give protection against air raids
- бомбоубе́жище (bomboubéžište)reinforced underground shelter designed to give protection against air raids
Chinese Mandarin 防空洞, 防空壕
- 防空洞 (fángkōngdòng)reinforced underground shelter designed to give protection against air raids
- 防空壕 (fángkōngháo)reinforced underground shelter designed to give protection against air raids
- 避彈壕 /避弹壕 (bìdànháo)reinforced underground shelter designed to give protection against air raids
Czech protiletecký kryt
- protiletecký krytreinforced underground shelter designed to give protection against air raids
Danish beskyttelsesrum
- beskyttelsesrumreinforced underground shelter designed to give protection against air raids
Dutch schuilkelder
- schuilkelderreinforced underground shelter designed to give protection against air raids
Estonian pommivarjend
- pommivarjendreinforced underground shelter designed to give protection against air raids
Finnish väestönsuoja, pommisuoja
- väestönsuojareinforced underground shelter designed to give protection against air raids
- pommisuojareinforced underground shelter designed to give protection against air raids
French abri anti-aérien
- abri anti-aérienreinforced underground shelter designed to give protection against air raids
German Luftschutzbunker
- Luftschutzbunkerreinforced underground shelter designed to give protection against air raids
Greek Καταφύγιο αεροπορικής επιδρομής
- Καταφύγιο αεροπορικής επιδρομής (Katafýgio aeroporikís epidromís)reinforced underground shelter designed to give protection against air raids
Hebrew מִקְלָט
- מִקְלָט (miklát)reinforced underground shelter designed to give protection against air raids
Hungarian légoltalmi óvóhely, óvóhely
- légoltalmi óvóhelyreinforced underground shelter designed to give protection against air raids
- óvóhelyreinforced underground shelter designed to give protection against air raids
- légópincereinforced underground shelter designed to give protection against air raids
Icelandic loftvarnarbyrgi
- loftvarnarbyrgireinforced underground shelter designed to give protection against air raids
Italian rifugio antiaereo
- rifugio antiaereoreinforced underground shelter designed to give protection against air raids
Japanese 防空壕
- 防空壕 (bōkūgō)reinforced underground shelter designed to give protection against air raids
Korean 방공호
- 방공호 (banggongho)reinforced underground shelter designed to give protection against air raids
Norwegian Bokmål tilfluktsrom
- tilfluktsromreinforced underground shelter designed to give protection against air raids
Polish schron przeciwlotniczy
- schron przeciwlotniczyreinforced underground shelter designed to give protection against air raids
Portuguese abrigo antiaéreo
- abrigo antiaéreoreinforced underground shelter designed to give protection against air raids
Romanian adăpost antiaerian
- adăpost antiaerianreinforced underground shelter designed to give protection against air raids
Russian бомбоубе́жище, убе́жище
- бомбоубе́жище (bomboubéžišče)reinforced underground shelter designed to give protection against air raids
- убе́жище (ubéžišče)reinforced underground shelter designed to give protection against air raids
Slovak protiletecký kryt
- protiletecký krytreinforced underground shelter designed to give protection against air raids
Spanish refugio antiaéreo, refugio antibombas
- refugio antiaéreoreinforced underground shelter designed to give protection against air raids
- refugio antibombasreinforced underground shelter designed to give protection against air raids
Swedish skyddsrum
- skyddsrumreinforced underground shelter designed to give protection against air raids
Ukrainian бомбосхо́вище, схо́вище
- бомбосхо́вище (bombosxóvyšče)reinforced underground shelter designed to give protection against air raids
- схо́вище (sxóvyšče)reinforced underground shelter designed to give protection against air raids
Cite this entry
air-raid shelter. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/air-raid%20shelter
“air-raid shelter.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/air-raid%20shelter. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “air-raid shelter,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/air-raid%20shelter.
Source: air-raid shelter on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.