strafe
strafe Lexical Profile
strafe Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To move sideways while facing forward, especially in a three-dimensional video game or simulation.
"Players can press the left and right keys to strafe smoothly around obstacles without turning the camera."
To attack ground targets repeatedly with gunfire or rockets from a low-flying aircraft.
"Archive footage showed vintage warplanes diving low to strafe supply trains along the railway line."
• noun
In video games, a sideways movement performed while keeping the player character's aim directed at a target.
"The tutorial teaches beginners how to execute a quick strafe around corners while maintaining visibility."
A fierce attack with machine-gun fire or cannon fire from a low-flying aircraft.
"The historical documentary examined how coastal radar installations were fortified against a sudden aerial strafe."
Word Nuance & Usage
In modern usage, 'strafe' has expanded beyond its original aviation context into video gaming, where it specifically means to move sideways while keeping one's view or aim fixed forward.
• Rhymes for strafe
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed during World War I by British soldiers as a humorous adaptation of the German propaganda slogan 'Gott strafe England' ('May God punish England'), from the German verb 'strafen' (to punish).