cruise missile

noun

: a guided missile that has a terrain-following radar system and that flies at moderate speed and low altitude

Examples of cruise missile in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The submarines are equipped with heavyweight torpedo tubes and vertical launch systems capable of carrying cruise missiles such as the Kalibr family and P-800 Oniks. — Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 3 Aug. 2026

Japan has bolstered its military capability and spending in recent years and has started deploying long-range cruise missiles as a deterrence to China's military activity. — ABC News, 3 Aug. 2026

But Russia’s lead in building miniature nuclear reactors, such as the power plant of the unlimited-range Burevestnik cruise missile, could give it a foot in the door. — Fred Weir, Christian Science Monitor, 31 July 2026

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said earlier, in a post on X, that a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile crossed into Poland. — Kuba Stezycki, USA Today, 30 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1959, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for cruise missile

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