Dictionary

kamikaze en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• /ˌkɐː.məˈkɐː.ziː/ (New-Zealand)
• /ˌkɑ.mɪˈkɑ.zi/ (Canada, General-American)
• audio AuE
• /ˌkɐː.mɪˈkɐː.ziː/ (Australia)
• /ˌka.mɪˈka.zi/ (Scotland)
• /ˌkɑː.mɪˈkɑː.ziː/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• kä′mĭ-kä′zē
• (California) audio

Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese 神風(かみかぜ) (kamikaze, “divine wind”), from 神(かみ) (kami, “divine”) + 風(かぜ) (kaze, “wind”); which originally referred to the typhoon that destroyed the Mongol navy attacking Japan in 1281.

Meanings

1. (not-comparable) Suicidal, risking one's own life.
   • Sheathed in helmets, gloves, and jackets, they look more like manic video game figures than humans. They weave through traffic and around double-decker buses at kamikaze velocity. 2018 February, Robert Draper, “They are Watching You—and Everything Else on the Planet: Technology and Our Increasing Demand for Security have Put Us All under Surveillance. Is Privacy Becoming just a Memory?”, in National Geographic, Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 14 Jun 2018:
2. (not-comparable) Having or showing reckless disregard for safety or personal welfare.

kamikaze en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˌkɐː.məˈkɐː.ziː/ (New-Zealand)
• /ˌkɑ.mɪˈkɑ.zi/ (Canada, General-American)
• audio AuE
• /ˌkɐː.mɪˈkɐː.ziː/ (Australia)
• /ˌka.mɪˈka.zi/ (Scotland)
• /ˌkɑː.mɪˈkɑː.ziː/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• kä′mĭ-kä′zē
• (California) audio

Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese 神風(かみかぜ) (kamikaze, “divine wind”), from 神(かみ) (kami, “divine”) + 風(かぜ) (kaze, “wind”); which originally referred to the typhoon that destroyed the Mongol navy attacking Japan in 1281.

Meanings

1. (countable, uncountable) An attack requiring the suicide of the one carrying it out, especially when done with an aircraft.
2. (countable) One who carries out a suicide attack, especially with an aircraft.
3. (countable) A vehicle used for a suicide attack, especially an aircraft.
   • Coupled with this were issues involving actually getting enough torpedoes out there to the fleet in the first place! Whilst they were a munition, a torpedo is far more complex and took far longer to build than a shell for a naval gun, even a battleship shell. Torpedoes, remember, are effectively small self-guiding kamikaze submarines, and, so, unless you have a large factory and an extensive production line going, you're only gonna see handfuls produced each year. 2020 February 12, Drachinifel, 8:16 from the start, in The Mark 14 Torpedo - Failure is Like Onions, archived from the original on 24 Nov 2022:
   • The Ukrainians themselves have been using kamikaze drones to strike against Russian targets – and asked their allies to supply them with more of these deadly weapons. 2022 October 17, Ivana Kottasová, “‘Kamikaze’ drones are the latest threat for Ukraine. Here’s what we know”, in CNN:
4. (colloquial, countable) One who takes excessive risks, as for example in a sporting event.
5. (countable) A cocktail made of equal parts vodka, triple sec and lime juice.
   • Only top-shelf liquor is served, though Sasha refuses to serve drinks he deems fratlike. These include woo woos, kamikazes and shots of any kind. 2000 May 7, Julia Chaplin, “Buzz Off: Secret Bars That Spurn Hype”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 26 May 2025:
6. (countable) A deliberate wipeout.

Forms

Deriveds

kamikaze drone · kamikaze shoplifting

Relateds

martyr · hara-kiri · seppuku · shaheed · hero · suicide bomber · suicide · juramentado

Translations (79)

uk сме́ртник (suicidal attacker) · ar اِنْتِحَارِيّ (suicidal attacker) · ar كَامِيكَازِي (suicidal attack) · da kamikazeaktion (suicidal attack) · pl kamikaze (suicidal attacker) · es kamikaze (suicidal attack) · ru камика́дзе (suicidal attack) · nb kamikazeflyger (suicidal attacker) · uk каміка́дзе (suicidal attacker) · da selvmordspilot (suicidal attacker) · pt camicase (suicidal attack) · cy kamikaze (suicidal attack) · ky камикадзе (suicidal attacker) · ms kamikaze (suicidal attack) · nb kamikazeflyver (suicidal attacker) · pt kamikaze (suicidal attack) · ja 神風 (suicidal attack) · pl atak samobójczy (suicidal attack) · cy camicasi (suicidal attack) · nn kamikazeflygar (suicidal attacker) · mk камиказе (suicidal attacker) · ky жанкечти (suicidal attack) · ca kamikaze (suicidal attacker) · el καμικάζι (suicidal attacker) · de Selbstmordanschlag (suicidal attack) · ms kamikaze (suicidal attacker) · ko 가미카제 (suicidal attack) · de Selbstmordattentat (suicidal attack) · ja 神風特攻隊 (suicidal attacker) · de Himmelfahrtskommando (suicidal attack) · cmn 神風 /神风 (suicidal attack) · uk сме́ртниця (suicidal attacker) · ru сме́ртница (suicidal attacker) · da kamikaze (suicidal attacker) · be смяро́тнік (suicidal attacker) · ar كَامِيكَازِي (suicidal attacker) · fi itsemurhahyökkäys (suicidal attack) · pt camicase (suicidal attacker) · ja 体当たり (suicidal attack) · sv kamikazepilot (suicidal attacker) · ar هُجُومٌ إِنْتِحَارِيّ (suicidal attack) · sv kamikaze (suicidal attack) · be каміка́дзэ (suicidal attacker) · be сме́ртнік (suicidal attacker) · hy կամիկաձե (suicidal attacker) · cmn 神風特別攻擊隊 /神风特别攻击队 (suicidal attacker) · el επίθεση αυτοκτονίας (suicidal attack) · ja 神風攻撃 (suicidal attack) · cmn 神風特攻隊 /神风特攻队 (suicidal attacker) · tr kamikaze (suicidal attack) · fa کامیکازه (suicidal attack) · fi itsemurhapommittaja (suicidal attacker) · nl kamikaze (suicidal attacker) · ko 가미카제 (suicidal attacker) · az kamikadze (suicidal attack) · de Selbstmordattentäter (suicidal attacker) · ja 特攻隊 (suicidal attacker) · de Selbstmordangriff (suicidal attack) · es kamikaze (suicidal attacker) · vi thần phong (suicidal attack) · be смяро́тніца (suicidal attacker) · ky жанкечти (suicidal attacker) · id kamikaze (suicidal attack) · ka კამიკაძე (suicidal attack) · ja 特別攻撃隊 (suicidal attacker) · cmn 神風攻擊 /神风攻击 (suicidal attack) · ru сме́ртник (suicidal attacker) · id kamikaze (suicidal attacker) · da kamikazepilot (suicidal attacker) · gl kamikaze (suicidal attack) · ky камикадзе (suicidal attack) · fr kamikaze (suicidal attacker) · ka კამიკაძე (suicidal attacker) · eo kamikazo (suicidal attacker) · nl kamikazepiloot (suicidal attacker) · ru камика́дзе (suicidal attacker) · bg камика́дзе (suicidal attacker) · be сме́ртніца (suicidal attacker) · ko 다이아타리 (suicidal attack)

kamikaze en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /ˌkɐː.məˈkɐː.ziː/ (New-Zealand)
• /ˌkɑ.mɪˈkɑ.zi/ (Canada, General-American)
• audio AuE
• /ˌkɐː.mɪˈkɐː.ziː/ (Australia)
• /ˌka.mɪˈka.zi/ (Scotland)
• /ˌkɑː.mɪˈkɑː.ziː/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• kä′mĭ-kä′zē
• (California) audio

Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese 神風(かみかぜ) (kamikaze, “divine wind”), from 神(かみ) (kami, “divine”) + 風(かぜ) (kaze, “wind”); which originally referred to the typhoon that destroyed the Mongol navy attacking Japan in 1281.

Meanings

1. (transitive) To destroy (a ship, etc.) in a suicide attack, especially by crashing an aircraft.
2. (intransitive) To carry out a suicide attack, especially by crashing an aircraft.
3. (intransitive, slang) To fail disastrously.

Forms

Translations (3)

fr kamikazer (to commit a suicidal attack) · pl zaatakować samobójczo (to commit a suicidal attack) · pl atakować samobójczo (to commit a suicidal attack)