cruise missile

noun

: a guided missile that has a terrain-following radar system and that flies at moderate speed and low altitude

Examples of cruise missile in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Both China and Russia are building highly dangerous, destabilizing and deadly hypersonic cruise missiles for either conventional or nuclear strikes, traveling at many times the speed of sound, far faster than systems today. —

James Stavridis, The Mercury News, 15 Feb. 2025 Brawner said the Philippines still intends to procure more BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles from India after taking delivery of its first batch last year. —

Dan Perry, Newsweek, 13 Feb. 2025 Trump directed the Pentagon to plan a multi-layer defense system against enemy ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missiles, among other aerial threats. —

Davis Winkie, USA TODAY, 12 Feb. 2025 Next will come Barracuda cruise missiles, Roadrunner autonomous twin turbojet vehicles and more. —

Andrew King, Axios, 31 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for cruise missile

Word History

First Known Use

1959, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of cruise missile was in 1959

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Cruise missile.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cruise%20missile. Accessed 22 Feb. 2025.

Copy Citation