fallout shelter

noun

: a shelter built underground to protect people from radioactive fallout
Beginning in the 1970s, curious tales began to emerge from Washington, D.C., about a "doomsday hotel." Located near the nation's capital, it was said to be the ultimate fallout shelter. But only for the well-connected.— Popular Mechanics

Examples of fallout shelter in a Sentence

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Hall said an underappreciated aspect of his company's fallout shelter was the communal aspect and the daunting, alternative prospect of outlasting a calamity with only a handful of individuals by your side. — Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 2 Dec. 2024 And perhaps most notably, during the Cold War era of the 1950s, the U.S. government constructed a secret fallout shelter and relocation facility for Congress beneath The Greenbrier. — Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 15 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1955, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fallout shelter was in 1955

Rhymes for fallout shelter

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fall out of love
fallout shelter
fall over
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Cite this Entry

“Fallout shelter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fallout%20shelter. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.

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