ballistic

adjective

bal·​lis·​tic bə-ˈli-stik How to pronounce ballistic (audio)
1
: extremely and usually suddenly excited, upset, or angry : wild
He went ballistic when he saw the dent in his car.
and the crowd goes ballistic
2
: of or relating to the science of the motion of projectiles in flight
3
exercise : being or characterized by repeated bouncing
ballistic stretching
4
physics, of an object in motion : behaving like a projectile
But the Bell Labs switch uses such a low current that the few ballistic electrons are a distance of a micrometer or more apart …Robert Pool
5
of a material : capable of resisting or stopping bullets or other projectiles
ballistic glass
ballistic nylon
… engineered specifically to be worn under ballistic vests and shirts.K. M. Reese
ballistically adverb

Examples of ballistic in a Sentence

she went ballistic when she discovered her brother reading her e-mail
Recent Examples on the Web By 2019 the Houthis were firing ballistic and cruise missiles at Saudi oil fields and airports, and although the Saudis were able to intercept most of the strikes, the struggle was becoming painfully asymmetrical. Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 5 Mar. 2024 Multiple fans add a level of redundancy if one system fails, and there will be a ballistic parachute for a total failure. Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 1 Mar. 2024 The casings found at the homicide scene were a ballistic match with that gun, according to preliminary test results from police. Elliot Hughes, Journal Sentinel, 29 Feb. 2024 Absent ballistic reports, Voltaire has had to rely on statements by witnesses and some of the accused to draw conclusions. Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 19 Feb. 2024 Both officers were dragged to safety by officers from Upper Darby Police Department, using ballistic shields as cover while gunfire continued, police said. Patrick Smith, NBC News, 9 Feb. 2024 Iran has provided the group with weapons and technology for, among other things, sea mines, ballistic and cruise missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs, or drones), according to a 2021 report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Christian Edwards, CNN, 4 Feb. 2024 The shooting occurred on the upper floor of a building in Southwest Baltimore’s Carrollton Ridge neighborhood that police entered with a ballistic shield after an earlier encounter with the man in building’s stairwell. Darcy Costello, Baltimore Sun, 11 Jan. 2024 According to police, ballistic evidence was located at the scene. Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 6 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ballistic.' 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

borrowed from New Latin ballisticus "relating to the motion of projectiles in flight," from Latin ballista ballista + New Latin -icus -ic entry 1

Note: The Latin word was apparently introduced by the French priest and polymath Marin Mersenne (1588-1648) in Ballistica et acontismologia, a section (with separate title page) of his Cogitata physico-mathematica (Paris, 1644).

First Known Use

1764, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of ballistic was in 1764

Dictionary Entries Near ballistic

Cite this Entry

“Ballistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ballistic. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

ballistic

adjective
bal·​lis·​tic bə-ˈlis-tik How to pronounce ballistic (audio)
: of or relating to ballistics

More from Merriam-Webster on ballistic

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