Pearl Harbor

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Thursday’s meeting between the two had a few rough patches, particularly the president’s joke about Pearl Harbor after a reporter asked him why the U.S. hadn’t notified allies about the U.S.’s plan to strike Iran.

From Barron's • Mar. 22, 2026

In 2016, Japanese PM Shinzo Abe visited the US naval base at Pearl Harbor and a memorial in Arizona, offering "sincere and everlasting condolences" to the victims of Japan's attack.

From BBC • Mar. 20, 2026

President Trump: "We wanted surprise. Who knows better about surprise than Japan? Why didn't you tell me about Pearl Harbor?"

From Salon • Mar. 19, 2026

In 2016, President Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe scattered petals together on the waters of Pearl Harbor to honor the more than 2,400 killed in the attack.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 19, 2026

Following the December 7, 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, some 120,000 people of Japanese descent, almost all of whom were loyal American citizens, were placed in “war relocation camps.”

From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler