cruise missile
noun
: a guided missile that has a terrain-following radar system and that flies at moderate speed and low altitude
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Since Iran started attacking its neighbors in response to the US-Israeli assault in February, the UAE said its air defenses have engaged 550 ballistic missiles, nearly 30 cruise missiles, and more than 2,200 drones.
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Jomana Karadsheh, CNN Money, 10 May 2026
Instead of entering enemy airspace, such bombers launch munitions like cruise missiles or hypersonic missiles from far away.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 9 May 2026
The occasion was a protest against the Reagan Administration’s plan, as part of an arms buildup in Europe, to station cruise missiles in Sicily.
—Paul Elie, New Yorker, 8 May 2026
Until recently, a single factory made all of America’s Tomahawk cruise missiles, and there is a constant shortage of Patriot missile interceptors.
—ABC News, 6 May 2026
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Jomana Karadsheh, CNN Money, 10 May 2026
Instead of entering enemy airspace, such bombers launch munitions like cruise missiles or hypersonic missiles from far away.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 9 May 2026
The occasion was a protest against the Reagan Administration’s plan, as part of an arms buildup in Europe, to station cruise missiles in Sicily.
—Paul Elie, New Yorker, 8 May 2026
Until recently, a single factory made all of America’s Tomahawk cruise missiles, and there is a constant shortage of Patriot missile interceptors.
—ABC News, 6 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for cruise missile
Cite this Entry
“Cruise missile.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cruise%20missile. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
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