bunker
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A compartment for storing coal for the ship's boilers.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
buhngkerSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈbʌŋkɚ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
military
A hardened shelter, often partly buried or fully underground, designed to protect the inhabitants from falling bombs or other attacks.
sportsgolf
A hazard on a golf course consisting of a sand-filled hollow.
nautical
A compartment for storing coal for the ship's boilers; or a tank for storing fuel oil for the ship's engines.
britishslang
One who bunks off; a truant from school.
verb
intransitive
Often followed by down: to take shelter in a bunker or other place.
idiomaticukinformal
To place (someone) in a position that is difficult to get out of; to hinder.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Formality
- Technical
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A compartment for storing coal for the ship's boilers; or a tank for storing fuel oil for the ship's engines.
Used this way, bunker is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is a nautical use: it is standard at sea and largely unfamiliar ashore.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Specialist/technical
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Specialized
- Connotation
- Clinical and technical
- Usage feel
- Technical and specialized
Where it naturally appears
- Sailing/maritime
- Technical/specialist writing
Usage note
In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use bunker
- “The ship's bunkers were full of coal.”noun
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Hardened
Other combinations
Tap the highlighted word to open its own entry.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
A long trough for feeding cattle.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A 5,000 pound laser-guided bomb that can be programmed to penetrate to a given depth before exploding.
The first important battle of the American War of Independence (1775) which was fought at Breed's Hill.
Defensiveness resulting from repeated attacks.
The first important battle of the American War of Independence (1775) which was fought at Breed's Hill.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: hardened shelter or often partly buried
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Knowing “bunker” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.