missile

[ mis-uhlor, especially British, -ahyl ]

noun

1. an object or weapon for throwing, hurling, or shooting, as a stone, bullet, or arrow.
2. guided missile.
3. ballistic missile.

adjective

1. capable of being thrown, hurled, or shot, as from the hand or a gun.
2. used or designed for discharging missiles.

missile

/ ˈmɪsaɪl /

noun

1. any object or weapon that is thrown at a target or shot from an engine, gun, etc
2. 1. a rocket-propelled weapon that flies either in a fixed trajectory (ballistic missile) or in a trajectory that can be controlled during flight (guided missile)
   2. ( as modifier )

      a missile carrier

Word History and Origins

Origin of missile¹

1600–10; < Latin, neuter of missilis, equivalent to miss ( us ) (past participle of mittere to send, throw) + -ilis -ile

Word History and Origins

Origin of missile¹

C17: from Latin: missilis , from mittere to send

Example Sentences

It described ballistic and air-to-surface missile handling.

From BBC

And, on defence, Trump said he would build an “iron dome missile defence shield” around America, implying greater spending in this area, not cuts.

From BBC

“Even if air defence works well, drone or missile debris falls on the city. It causes fires, damage and unfortunately sometimes victims,” he explained.

From BBC

In the evening, the Israeli military declared that it had “dismantled a majority of Hezbollah’s weapons storage and missile manufacturing facilities” that had been “systematically concealed beneath civilian buildings” in Dahieh.

From BBC

A few weeks ago, after Iran attacked Israel with missiles, Trump said Israel should “hit the nuclear“—i.e., it should respond by destroying Iran’s nuclear facilities. President Biden persuaded Netanyahu to launch a “proportional” retaliation, which he did, destroying Iranian missile factories, aircraft, and air-defense sites.

From Slate

Related Words

• ammunition
• bomb
• bullet
• projectile
• rocket