Pearl Harbor

noun

: a surprise attack often with devastating effect

Etymology

Pearl Harbor, Oahu, Hawaii, American naval station attacked without warning by the Japanese on December 7, 1941

First Known Use

1942, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of Pearl Harbor was in 1942

See more words from the same year

Style

“Pearl Harbor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Pearl%20Harbor. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

Copy Citation

Pearl Harbor

inlet of the Pacific on the southern coast of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu; site of a U.S. Navy base

Note: The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 precipitated the U.S. entry into World War II.

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