strafe

verb

1. (transitive)To attack (ground targets) with automatic gunfire from a low-flying aircraft.

   “These should be especially useful against low-flying planes that "strafe" infantry and transport columns with machine-gun fire and light bombs.”

2. (broadly, transitive)To rake (a target) with rapid or automatic gunfire.

   “Laffey, fresh off from strafing Hiei, ran straight into a quarter of the Japanese navy's remaining destroyers, and, along with Kirishima, between gunfire and another successful Type 93 torpedo strike that tore off the ship's stern, the hapless destroyer was left drifting, ablaze, and would eventually sink.”

3. (figuratively, transitive)To reprimand severely.

   “You will get an officer sometimes fu'l of shout and swank, an' 'e 'll put 'em through it, an' strafe 'em, an' walk off parade feelin' that 'e 'as put the fear o' God into 'em.”

4. (intransitive)To sidestep; to move sideways without turning (a core mechanic of most first-person shooters).

   “Strafe — Press the Alt key and the left or right Arrow key to slide side to side instead of turning left or right.”

   “If the NPC is close to the player, he may also try using the tried-and-true Quake circle-strafing technique.”

   “A strafe is a side-to-side camera movement. If you're a fan of first-person shooter games, you know how fundamental strafing can be to a game.”

noun

1. (World-War-I)A heavy artillery bombardment.

   “They were unfortunate, for a well-aimed shell during a German evening strafe demolished the apple tree and the nest.”

2. An attack of machine-gun or cannon fire from a low-flying aircraft.
3. A sideways movement without turning.

   “We also have added a new game control called the "defensive strafe," in which the user can press a button and stay facing forward.”