strafe

[ streyf, strahf ]

verb (used with object)

, strafed, straf·ing.

1. to attack (ground troops or installations) by airplanes with machine-gun fire.
2. Slang. to reprimand viciously.

verb (used without object)

, strafed, straf·ing.

1. (of a player character in a video game) to move sideways while keeping a target in view, rather than turning the body to face the character’s destination in a regular forward movement.

noun

1. a strafing attack.

strafe

/ strɑːf; streɪf /

verb

1. to machine-gun (troops, etc) from the air
2. slang.
   to punish harshly

noun

1. an act or instance of strafing

Derived Forms

• ˈstrafer, noun

Other Words From

• straf·er noun
• un·strafed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of strafe¹

First recorded in 1910–15; from German strafen “to punish”

Word History and Origins

Origin of strafe¹

C20: from German strafen to punish

Example Sentences

He recalled being on the road with the 6th Armored Division, part of a push to retake the French port city of Brest, when his column was strafed by five German planes.

From Seattle Times

Long-range artillery, rapid-fire machine guns, poison gas, flamethrowers, tanks, and airplanes that bombed and strafed introduced new kinds of terror and record levels of suffering and death.

From Literature

The first, on Aug. 12, 2026, will start above Greenland, then strafe the west coast of Iceland and move along the Atlantic Ocean and over Spain.

From New York Times

The military government has control of air space and frequently carries out bombing and strafing missions against which resistance forces have little effective defense.

From Seattle Times

He went from Singapore up to China, got strafed by MIG fighters.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• assault
• blockade
• bomb
• bombard
• harass
• invade
• loot
• overrun
• plunder
• ransack
• rob
• storm
• swoop