ballistic missile

noun

plural ballistic missiles
: a usually rocket-powered missile that is launched in a high arc under guidance for its ascent but that is unpowered and unguided once it begins its descent compare cruise missile, guided missile

Examples of ballistic missile in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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North Korea tests ballistic missile as Blinken visits South Korea North Korea has embarked on an intense program of weapons tests in recent years, including intercontinental ballistic missiles, medium-range rockets and hypersonic weapons. David Brennan, ABC News, 7 Jan. 2025 Ukraine’s air force reported a ballistic missile threat at 3:00 a.m., with at least two explosions heard in Kyiv minutes later. Illia Novikov, Los Angeles Times, 31 Dec. 2024 As far as the report discloses, the DoD says China has added 300 medium-range ballistic missiles and 100 long-range cruise missiles. Danielle Wallace, Fox News, 29 Dec. 2024 In doing this, the exhibition aligns its artists with women working for the military-industrial complex: ENIAC, the world’s first modern computer, was invented to compute ballistic missile trajectories (six young women programmed it), and Grace Hopper was a Navy officer. Lua Vollaard, ARTnews.com, 27 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for ballistic missile 

Word History

First Known Use

1950, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ballistic missile was in 1950

Dictionary Entries Near ballistic missile

Cite this Entry

“Ballistic missile.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ballistic%20missile. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

ballistic missile

noun
: a missile that moves under its own power, is guided as it rises in a steeply curving path, and falls freely on the way back to earth

More from Merriam-Webster on ballistic missile

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