bunker

1 of 2

noun

bun·​ker ˈbəŋ-kər How to pronounce bunker (audio)
1
: a bin or compartment for storage
especially : one on shipboard for the ship's fuel
2
a
: a protective embankment or dugout
especially : a fortified chamber mostly below ground often built of reinforced concrete and provided with embrasures
b
: a sand trap or embankment constituting a hazard on a golf course

bunker

2 of 2

verb

bunkered; bunkering ˈbəŋ-k(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce bunker (audio)

intransitive verb

: to fill a ship's bunker with coal or oil

transitive verb

1
: to place or store in a bunker
2
: to hit (a golf ball or shot) into a bunker

Examples of bunker in a Sentence

Noun The ammunition is stored in concrete bunkers. Verb She bunkered her tee shot. They bunkered just enough coal to get them to the port.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Noun
Grizzly said during the day his team uses improvised bunkers to keep their weapons hidden from Russian drones and artillery that operate from the far side of the river. Brian Mann, NPR, 28 Jan. 2025 On top of that, hundreds of aging concrete bunkers, built during the reign of paranoid Communist dictator Enver Hoxha, dot the island. Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 25 Jan. 2025
Verb
As the snow fell and his family bunkered down, his young siblings relished the first. John Bacon, USA TODAY, 22 Jan. 2025 Fact check: Video shows Benjamin Netanyahu running in 2021, not fleeing to bunker in 2024 The X post seen in the Instagram post does not provide evidence supporting the claim that the head of Netanyahu's medical team announced he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Andre Byik, USA TODAY, 1 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for bunker 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Scots bonker chest, box

First Known Use

Noun

1839, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1886, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of bunker was in 1839

Dictionary Entries Near bunker

Cite this Entry

“Bunker.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bunker. Accessed 18 Feb. 2025.

Kids Definition

bunker

noun
bun·​ker
ˈbəŋ-kər
1
: a large bin (as for coal or oil on a ship)
2
: a shelter dug into the ground and made strong against attack
3

Biographical Definition

Bunker

biographical name

Bun·​ker ˈbəŋ-kər How to pronounce Bunker (audio)
Ellsworth 1894–1984 American diplomat
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!