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
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The type of air defenses NATO would use to intercept a large-scale drone attack is different from how the alliance would take out incoming ballistic or cruise missiles. Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025 Pricey high-performance surface-to-air missiles like Patriot can easily tackle fast jets, helicopters and cruise missiles, but are only bought in small numbers. David Hambling, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025 The system aims to intercept rockets, artillery, cruise missiles, and swarms of drones with precision. Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 10 Sep. 2025 Each missile in turns costs millions of dollars (for example, approximately $1 million to $2 million for a Kalibr cruise missile) and increases Russia’s need for fossil-fuel exports and capital. Jeremy Shapiro, The Atlantic, 10 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for cruise missile

Word History

First Known Use

1959, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cruise missile was in 1959

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Cite this Entry

“Cruise missile.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cruise%20missile. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.

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