hunter-killer

American

[huhn-ter-kil-er] / ˈhʌn tərˈkɪl ər /

adjective

of or relating to a combined naval air and fleet force operating to seek out and destroy enemy submarines.

hunter-killer British

adjective

denoting a type of naval vessel, esp a submarine, designed and equipped to pursue and destroy enemy craft

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But the battlefield has changed substantially since then, notably by the ubiquitous use of Russian surveillance drones and hunter-killer drones.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 25, 2024

The hunter-killer vessel is is now at His Majesty's Naval Base in Clyde, Scotland.

From BBC • Apr. 29, 2023

Singapore-based security scholar Collin Koh said there was a great deal of interest in the prospect of a new class of Chinese Type 093 "hunter-killer" submarine with vertical launch tubes for guided missiles.

From Reuters • May 10, 2022

But Thomas’s promotion, if confirmed, would appear to affirm the primacy not only of special operations within the military, but of JSOC’s hunter-killer units within the bigger special operations community.

From Washington Post • Jan. 7, 2016

America’s anti-submarine forces, known as hunter-killer groups, used planes, helicopters, warships, and nuclear-powered subs to track down enemy boats.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023