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letter bomb

American

noun

an envelope containing an explosive device designed to detonate when the envelope is opened by the recipient.

letter bomb British

noun

a thin explosive device inside an envelope, detonated when the envelope is opened

"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

Etymology

Origin of letter bomb

First recorded in 1945–50

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.

Never mind a letter bomb, what about a stinkbomb that is also a letter?

From Salon • Jan. 5, 2025

Northern Ireland's First Minister Peter Robinson said the letter bomb was addressed to Theresa Villiers, who is the British minister for the province.

From Reuters • Oct. 29, 2013

An ancient-looking letter bomb detector reposed in a corner.

From Newsweek

In early August, Reback mailed a legal letter bomb to the Justice Department's Antitrust Division on Netscape's behalf, accusing Microsoft of every anticompetitive behavior short of kidnapping programmers.

From Time Magazine Archive

Business executives and public officials lately have been receiving a new kind of letter bomb: their insurance bill.

From Time Magazine Archive

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