missile

1 of 2

adjective

mis·​sile ˈmi-səl How to pronounce missile (audio)
chiefly British
-ˌsīl How to pronounce missile (audio)
1
: capable of being thrown or projected to strike a distant object
2
: adapted for throwing or hurling missiles

missile

2 of 2

noun

: an object (such as a weapon) thrown or projected usually so as to strike something at a distance
stones, artillery shells, bullets, and rockets are missiles
: such as

Examples of missile in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Until recently, the U.S. had limited any training of Ukrainians on U.S. weapons systems to Europe and was reluctant to send Patriots to Ukraine – over concerns the advanced anti-missile system and training of Ukrainians on U.S. soil would be seen as escalatory by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Howard Lafranchi, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 Jan. 2023 Senior Israeli lawmakers have already called on Netanyahu to provide Ukraine with anti-drone and anti-missile systems. Tovah Lazaroff, NBC News, 28 Feb. 2023
Noun
Secondly, his plan outlines proposals to strengthen Ukraine’s defense, including improving air defense systems and reiterating a push for allies to ease restrictions around the use of long-range missiles to hit targets deep inside Russia – something the US has repeatedly denied. Lauren Kent, CNN, 16 Oct. 2024 Underscoring the urgency of such assistance, a report in the British newspaper The Financial Times said Israel’s missile defenses are short of interceptors. Dina Kraft, The Christian Science Monitor, 16 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for missile 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'missile.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Latin missilis, from mittere to throw, send

First Known Use

Adjective

1610, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

circa 1656, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of missile was in 1610

Dictionary Entries Near missile

Cite this Entry

“Missile.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/missile. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

missile

noun
mis·​sile
ˈmis-əl
: an object (as a stone, arrow, artillery shell, bullet, or rocket) that is thrown, shot, or launched usually so as to strike something at a distance
Etymology

Noun

from Latin missile "a weapon that is thrown or shot rather than held in the hand," derived from missus, past participle of mittere "to send, throw" — related to emit

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!