thermobaric
adjective
ther·mo·bar·ic ˌthər-mə-ˈbär-ik 
-ˈber-ik,
-ˈba-rik
of a weapon
: containing a charge of fuel designed to ignite and combine with oxygen present in the atmosphere to produce a prolonged explosion
Rather than fight their way into such caverns, U.S. forces have preferred to drop specialized … weapons, including thermobaric bombs that emit clouds of powdered fuel and ignite them, sending waves of heat and pressure through caverns and depleting the oxygen inside.
Peter Baker and Pamela Constable
Peter Baker and Pamela Constable
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web The potential use of vacuum bombs is of particular concern because these thermobaric munitions are designed to cause immense destruction. NBC News, 2 Mar. 2022 Ukrainian officials said the troops that pulled out of Lyman had been attacked with barrages from thermobaric TOS-1 MLRS batteries. Vivian Salama, WSJ, 27 May 2022 Russia also has been using TOS-1A systems firing thermobaric warheads, sometimes called vacuum bombs, which can kill soldiers even in trenches by unleashing multiple pressure blast waves. Anchorage Daily News, 4 June 2022 Ukraine is accusing Russia of using thermobaric weapons—whose powerful blasts can unleash a devastating toll on people and buildings—in the latest battle for the Donbas area of eastern Ukraine. WSJ, 28 May 2022 The Ukrainians might not be keen to lob a lot of thermobaric missiles at Russian positions when there could be civilians nearby. David Axe, Forbes, 17 Apr. 2022 There has been no confirmation of the Ukrainian claim that Russia has used phosphorus or thermobaric weapons. Mary Walsh, CBS News, 25 Mar. 2022 The United States and Russia have reportedly been in a race to perfect the thermobaric weapon, billed as a substitute to nuclear weapons. Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 16 Mar. 2022 Oksana Markarova, Ukraine's ambassador to the United States, told reporters after meeting with members of the U.S. Congress on Monday that Russia had used a thermobaric weapon. Gabriela Miranda, USA TODAY, 1 Mar. 2022 See More
NBC News, 2 Mar. 2022 Ukrainian officials said the troops that pulled out of Lyman had been attacked with barrages from thermobaric TOS-1 MLRS batteries. Vivian Salama, WSJ, 27 May 2022 Russia also has been using TOS-1A systems firing thermobaric warheads, sometimes called vacuum bombs, which can kill soldiers even in trenches by unleashing multiple pressure blast waves. Anchorage Daily News, 4 June 2022 Ukraine is accusing Russia of using thermobaric weapons—whose powerful blasts can unleash a devastating toll on people and buildings—in the latest battle for the Donbas area of eastern Ukraine. WSJ, 28 May 2022 The Ukrainians might not be keen to lob a lot of thermobaric missiles at Russian positions when there could be civilians nearby. David Axe, Forbes, 17 Apr. 2022 There has been no confirmation of the Ukrainian claim that Russia has used phosphorus or thermobaric weapons. Mary Walsh, CBS News, 25 Mar. 2022 The United States and Russia have reportedly been in a race to perfect the thermobaric weapon, billed as a substitute to nuclear weapons. Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 16 Mar. 2022 Oksana Markarova, Ukraine's ambassador to the United States, told reporters after meeting with members of the U.S. Congress on Monday that Russia had used a thermobaric weapon. Gabriela Miranda, USA TODAY, 1 Mar. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
borrowed from Russian termobaricheskiy, from termo- thermo- + -baricheskiy, as in izobaricheskiy isobaric
First Known Use
1999, in the meaning defined above