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
Iran targeted Israel with hundreds of drones and ballistic missiles in the first direct attack on the Jewish nation by a sovereign state since 1991.
—
Detroit Free Press, 15 Apr. 2024
If even one Iranian ballistic missile—with, typically, a thousand pounds of explosives in its warhead—had struck an Israeli air base or a residential neighborhood, the deaths of Israelis would have made a powerful retaliation by Israel inevitable.
—Yossi Melman and Dan Raviv, TIME, 15 Apr. 2024
Iran just fired hundreds of projectiles, including ballistic missiles, toward Israel’s capital city, after decades of its proxies launching attacks on Israel.
—The Editors, National Review, 14 Apr. 2024
The attack involved 300 weapons, including one-way attack drones, cruise and ballistic missiles.
—Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 14 Apr. 2024
With this framework in mind, a possible Iranian ballistic missile attack against Israeli diplomatic facilities in the region might be one option on the table.
—Javed Ali, The Conversation, 11 Apr. 2024
North Korea's military fired a ballistic missile on Tuesday morning, according to South Korean officials.
—Andrea Vacchiano, Fox News, 1 Apr. 2024
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and China’s bellicose response to then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan in August 2022 — in which the PLA fired five ballistic missiles into waters near Okinawa — rattled Japan.
—Ellen Nakashima, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024
Elsewhere, at least one person was killed Saturday afternoon when a ballistic missile hit the southern port city of Odesa, Ukraine’s Southern Defense Forces said in a Telegram post.
—Radina Gigova, CNN, 6 Apr. 2024
Detroit Free Press, 15 Apr. 2024
If even one Iranian ballistic missile—with, typically, a thousand pounds of explosives in its warhead—had struck an Israeli air base or a residential neighborhood, the deaths of Israelis would have made a powerful retaliation by Israel inevitable.
—Yossi Melman and Dan Raviv, TIME, 15 Apr. 2024
Iran just fired hundreds of projectiles, including ballistic missiles, toward Israel’s capital city, after decades of its proxies launching attacks on Israel.
—The Editors, National Review, 14 Apr. 2024
The attack involved 300 weapons, including one-way attack drones, cruise and ballistic missiles.
—Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 14 Apr. 2024
With this framework in mind, a possible Iranian ballistic missile attack against Israeli diplomatic facilities in the region might be one option on the table.
—Javed Ali, The Conversation, 11 Apr. 2024
North Korea's military fired a ballistic missile on Tuesday morning, according to South Korean officials.
—Andrea Vacchiano, Fox News, 1 Apr. 2024
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and China’s bellicose response to then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan in August 2022 — in which the PLA fired five ballistic missiles into waters near Okinawa — rattled Japan.
—Ellen Nakashima, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024
Elsewhere, at least one person was killed Saturday afternoon when a ballistic missile hit the southern port city of Odesa, Ukraine’s Southern Defense Forces said in a Telegram post.
—Radina Gigova, CNN, 6 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ballistic missile.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share