Etymology Borrowed from German strafe (“punish”) (a conjugated form of strafen), from phrases like Gott strafe England (“God punish England”) which the British saw during the First World War.
These should be especially useful against low-flying planes that "strafe" infantry and transport columns with machine-gun fire and light bombs.1929, Frank Thone, “‘Thinking Machine’ Aims Guns”, in The Science News-Letter, volume 16, number 437, pages 107-09:
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.2021 March 10, Drachinifel, 20:16 from the start, in Guadalcanal Campaign - The Big Night Battle: Night 1 (IJN 3(?) : 2 USN), archived from the original on 17 Oct 2022:
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.1933, Thomas Clement Lonergan, “Private 19022”, in The Military Engineer, volume 23, number 132, page 582:
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Video games 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.1992, id Software, Wolfenstein 3D (game manual), page 4
If the NPC is close to the player, he may also try using the tried-and-true Quake circle-strafing technique.2001, Jana Hallford, Swords and circuitry: a designer's guide to computer role playing games:
1 more example
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.2007, Stephen Cawood, Pat McGee, Microsoft XNA Game Studio Creator's Guide:
Etymology Borrowed from German strafe (“punish”) (a conjugated form of strafen), from phrases like Gott strafe England (“God punish England”) which the British saw during the First World War.
They were unfortunate, for a well-aimed shell during a German evening strafe demolished the apple tree and the nest.1917, H.Thoburn-Clarke, “Nesting Mothers of Battle Zone: Bird Life Where Cannons Roar”, in Current History, volume 6, number 1, page 142:
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An attack of machine-gun or cannon fire from a low-flying aircraft.
We also have added a new game control called the "defensive strafe," in which the user can press a button and stay facing forward.2004, Marc Saltzman, Game Creation and Careers: Insider Secrets from Industry Experts: