bunker vs sandbank

bunker

noun
  • A hazard on a golf course consisting of a sand-filled hollow. 

  • One who bunks off; a truant from school. 

  • A sort of box or chest, as in a window, the lid of which serves as a seat. 

  • The menhaden, any of several species of fish in the genera Brevoortia and Ethmidium. 

  • A container for storing coal or fuel oil for a ship's engine; (by extension) the quantity of fuel needed to replenish that container. 

  • A large bin or container for storing coal, often built outdoors in the yard of a house. 

  • A hardened shelter, often partly buried or fully underground, designed to protect the inhabitants from falling bombs or other attacks. 

  • A kitchen worktop. 

  • The coal compartment on a tank engine. 

  • An obstacle used to block an opposing player's view and field of fire. 

verb
  • Of a vessel: to take a load of coal or fuel oil for its engine. 

  • To steal bunker fuel by illicitly siphoning it off. 

  • To fire constantly at (an opponent hiding behind an obstacle), trapping them and preventing them from firing at other players; also, to eliminate (an opponent behind an obstacle) by rushing to the position and firing at extremely close range as the player becomes exposed. 

  • To hit (a golf ball) into a bunker; (chiefly passive) to place (a golfer) in the position of having a golf ball in a bunker. 

  • To place (someone) in a position that is difficult to get out of; to hinder. 

  • Often followed by down: to take shelter in a bunker or other place. 

  • To load (a vessel) with coal or fuel oil for the engine. 

sandbank

noun
  • A ridge of sand along a shore that is partially or totally submerged and thus a hazard to shipping. 

How often have the words bunker and sandbank occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )