antimissile

or an·ti-mis·sile

[ an-tee-mis-uhl, an-tahy-or, especially British, -mis-ahyl ]

adjective

1. designed or used in defense against guided enemy missiles.

noun

1. a ballistic device for seeking and destroying enemy missiles.

antimissile

/ ˌæntɪˈmɪsaɪl /

adjective

1. relating to defensive measures against missile attack

   an antimissile system

noun

1. Also calledantimissile missile a defensive missile used to intercept and destroy attacking missiles AMM

Word History and Origins

Origin of antimissile¹

First recorded in 1955–60; anti- + missile

Example Sentences

On Friday, Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior adviser to Mr. Zelensky, said in a post on the Telegram messaging app that if Ukraine’s western neighbors would shoot down Russian missiles from their territory, it would “allow Ukraine to concentrate its scarce antimissile systems in the east and south of the country,” which are under near daily attack.

From New York Times

Amid concerns that the conflict could spill over, the Pentagon said on Saturday that it was sending an antimissile battery and battalions of the Patriot ground-based air defense system to the Middle East.

From New York Times

Included in the package drawn from Pentagon stockpiles are several Stryker armored personnel carriers, mine-clearing equipment and munitions for Patriot antimissile systems and National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems, or NASAMS, the officials said.

From New York Times

The overnight attack early Thursday left very little time for residents to take shelter, with antimissile defenses colliding with missiles just six minutes after the air alarm sounded, the Kyiv military administration said.

From New York Times

The Kinzhal, which is an air-launched version of an Iskander ballistic missile, is believed to meet the definition of a hypersonic weapon — namely that it can fly and maneuver at speeds equal to or greater than five times the speed of sound, a feature meant to defeat antimissile defenses.

From New York Times