missile

adjective

mis·sile | \ ˈmi-səl

, chiefly British -ˌsīl

Definition of missile

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : capable of being thrown or projected to strike a distant object

2 : adapted for throwing or hurling missiles

missile

noun

Definition of missile (Entry 2 of 2)

: an object (such as a weapon) thrown or projected usually so as to strike something at a distance stones, artillery shells, bullets, and rockets are missiles : such as

a : guided missile

b : ballistic missile

Examples of missile in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Missile launches and nuclear tests are banned by the U.N. Security Council, but North Korea has paid no attention to its resolutions. — The Washington Post, OregonLive.com, "Trump: 'All options are on the table' after North Korea missile launch," 29 Aug. 2017 Missile launches and nuclear tests are banned by the U.N. Security Council, but North Korea has paid no attention to its resolutions. — John Wagner, Washington Post, "Trump: ‘All options are on the table’ after North Korea launched missile over Japan," 29 Aug. 2017 Missile experts say the North’s shift to solids came as a surprise. — David E. Sanger And William J. Broad, New York Times, "North Korean Tests Add Urgency for U.S. to Fix Defense Flaws," 29 May 2017 Missile experts haven't identified the four intermediate-range missiles that landed on Monday off the east coast of the Korean Peninsula, about 620 miles from its... — Jonathan Cheng, WSJ, "North Korea Missile Test Stirs ICBM Fears," 7 Mar. 2017

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Its demise could open the way for a new arms race in missiles, whether nuclear or conventional, whose time to target is mere minutes. — The Economist, "Donald Trump risks undoing decades of nuclear arms control," 11 July 2019 Those include a $900 million U.S. Air Force contract for technology related to the agency’s long-range missile program and work related to the U.S. military’s F-35 fighter. — Marco Santana, orlandosentinel.com, "Orlando Lockheed Martin executive takes over helicopter division," 2 July 2019 Some of the results will be unambiguously good—fewer missing airliners and secret missile programs. — Tim Fernholz, Quartz, "You can make millions counting cars in parking lots from space," 26 June 2019 Experts are divided over how much influence China has over North Korea, which often continued high-profile nuclear and missile tests in recent years despite Beijing's objections. — Fox News, "What China, North Korea are looking to achieve with summit," 18 June 2019 Now, this reference can be figurative or literal (Trump has recently talked about a missile defense build up). — Alison Caporimo, Seventeen, "Signs Taylor Swift's Song "You Need to Calm Down" Is More About LGBTQ Pride Than Politics," 17 June 2019 The bigger company will combine United Technologies’ Pratt & Whitney F-35 fighter jet engines with Raytheon’s Patriot missile-defense products and expertise in areas such as radars, munitions and cybersecurity. — Bloomberg, The Mercury News, "United Technologies, Raytheon to combine as defense giant," 9 June 2019 By 1962, both countries had missile defenses pointed at one another. — Erin Blakemore, National Geographic, "What was the Cold War?," 22 Mar. 2019 Media outlets, including Fox News, reported that ships delivered TOWs, surface-to-air missiles, and other high-tech weaponry from Libya to the port of Iskenderun in southern Turkey. — Charles Glass, Harper's magazine, "“Tell Me How This Ends”," 10 Feb. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'missile.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.