German word

Bunker

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈbʊŋkɐ/

Meaning

  • masculine nounair-raid shelter

Example

Viele Menschen verstecken sich im Bunker.

Many people are hiding in the air-raid shelter.

Illustration for Bunker (air-raid shelter)

More examples

Heute besichtigen viele Touristen die historischen Bunker.

Today, many tourists are visiting the historic air-raid shelters.

Core concept

A thick-walled fortified room, often partly underground, encloses people while explosions and debris remain outside.

Common phrases

  • in den Bunker

    into the air-raid shelter

  • Luftschutz-Bunker

    air-raid shelter bunker

Similar words

Schutzraum: A secure indoor or underground room used for refuge during emergencies.
Luftschutzbunker: A fortified underground shelter designed to protect people during air raids.
Keller: A basement room used for living or storage that can also provide refuge.

Definition in German

Ein befestigter, oft im Erdreich liegender Schutzraum, der Menschen vor Bomben, Splittern oder anderen Gefahren schützt.

Word origin

German Bunker is borrowed from English bunker, whose earlier senses included a storage compartment and whose military use supplied the German word's fortified-shelter meaning.

Usage tips

  • Bunker is masculine, and its plural is also Bunker, so der Bunker and die Bunker have different articles but the same noun form.

Other meanings

  • shelternoun
  • underground shelternoun

Related words

  • Bunkerbauair-raid shelter constructionnoun
  • Bunkeranlageair-raid shelter complexnoun

Word lists with this word