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

Fire Point has also developed long-range drones to go along with shorter range ballistic missiles. — Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026

These include ballistic missiles, low-flying cruise missiles, aircraft, hypersonic threats, ships, and other surface targets. — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 23 Aug. 2026

In a separate attack, local authorities said two people were killed Saturday afternoon in a Russian ballistic missile strike on the Kyiv region, which surrounds the capital. — Volodymyr Yurchuk, Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 2026

To reinforce its point, the North followed up Thursday with a barrage of about a dozen short-range ballistic missiles launched from around the capital, Pyongyang, eastward toward the sea, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff. — Anthony Kuhn, NPR, 21 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1950, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for ballistic missile

• abyssal
• dismissal
• epistle
• bristle
• fissile
• gristle
• missal
• nissl
• thistle
• whistle

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