impactor
noun
im·pac·tor
im-ˈpak-tər 
variants
or impacter
1
: a machine (such as a steam or air hammer or a pile driver) or part that operates by striking blows
2
Examples of impactor in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The land of the southern hemisphere pulled away from this vile impactor, restructuring itself in the northern hemisphere.
—
Keith Cooper, Space.com, 11 May 2026
When the impactor struck at 10 kilometers per second, the resulting basin became too elongated compared to the real South Pole–Aitken basin.
—Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 9 May 2026
Scouting for the future Deep craters carved from the lunar crust by much larger, ancient impactors were also on the target list for the Artemis II astronauts.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 9 Apr. 2026
If an asteroid that poses risks to our world is found with enough time to deflect it, a kinetic impactor like DART could be sent to nudge the space rock, or its companion, into a more benign orbit that misses Earth.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 9 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for impactor
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Keith Cooper, Space.com, 11 May 2026
When the impactor struck at 10 kilometers per second, the resulting basin became too elongated compared to the real South Pole–Aitken basin.
—Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 9 May 2026
Scouting for the future Deep craters carved from the lunar crust by much larger, ancient impactors were also on the target list for the Artemis II astronauts.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 9 Apr. 2026
If an asteroid that poses risks to our world is found with enough time to deflect it, a kinetic impactor like DART could be sent to nudge the space rock, or its companion, into a more benign orbit that misses Earth.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 9 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for impactor
Cite this Entry
“Impactor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/impactor. Accessed 19 May. 2026.
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