Definition

1. Noun:
   • A type of explosive weapon: A cluster bomb is an air-dropped or ground-launched munition that ejects multiple smaller submunitions (bomblets) over a wide area.
   • A canister-based bomb system: It consists of a canister that opens mid-air to disperse its payload of many small explosives, often fragmentation bombs.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The use of cluster bombs in populated areas is controversial due to the high risk to civilians.
  • The treaty prohibits the production and use of cluster munitions.
  • Unexploded bomblets from a cluster bomb can remain dangerous for decades.

Advanced Usage

• "Cluster munition": A more formal or technical term for a cluster bomb.
  • The country agreed to destroy its stockpile of cluster munitions.

Variants and Related Words

• Bomblet (n): One of the many small explosive submunitions released by a cluster bomb.
  • The bomblets are designed to explode on impact.

Synonyms

• Dispersion bomb
• CBU (Cluster Bomb Unit)

Related Phrases

• Unexploded ordnance (UXO): Military munitions that failed to detonate as intended and remain hazardous.
  • The fields are littered with unexploded ordnance from cluster bombs.

Notes on Meaning

• The defining characteristic of a cluster bomb is its design to disperse numerous smaller explosives from a single container, creating effects over a broader area than a single bomb. A critical aspect, as noted in the reference, is its lack of precision targeting, which is a major factor in its humanitarian impact. The unexploded bomblets effectively become long-term landmines.

Noun

1. bomb consisting of a canister that is dropped from a plane and that opens to release a cluster of bomblets (usually fragmentation bombs) over a wide area
   • cluster bombs cannot be targeted precisely