thermobaric weapon

noun

A kind of bomb that works by dispersing an aerosol cloud of gas, liquid or powdered explosive, allowing chemical combustion to proceed using atmospheric oxygen. It produces an explosion, heat flash, shockwave, vacuum, and vacuum collapse pressure wave.

Similar
aerosol bombFAEfuel-air explosivepoor-man's nukevacuum bomb
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Meanings

nounthermobaric weapon (plural thermobaric weapons)

plural thermobaric weapons

  1. engineeringA kind of bomb that works by dispersing an aerosol cloud of gas, liquid or powdered explosive, allowing chemical combustion to proceed using atmospheric oxygen. It produces an explosion, heat flash, shockwave, vacuum, and vacuum collapse pressure wave.

    Synonyms: aerosol bomb, FAE, fuel-air explosive, poor-man's nuke, vacuum bomb

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA kind of bomb that works by dispersing an aerosol cloud of gas, liquid or powdered explosive, allowing chemical combustion to proceed using atmospheric oxygen. It produces an explosion, heat flash, shockwave, vacuum, and vacuum collapse pressure wave.

Similar
aerosol bombFAEfuel-air explosivepoor-man's nukevacuum bomb
Also see
aerosol bomb

Origin

From being a weapon which produces heat (“thermo-”) and pressure (“baric”).

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

thermobaric weapon. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thermobaric%20weapon

MLA

“thermobaric weapon.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thermobaric%20weapon. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “thermobaric weapon,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thermobaric%20weapon.

Source: thermobaric weapon on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.