missile

1 of 2

adjective

mis·​sile ˈmi-səl 

chiefly British

-ˌsīl 

1

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

2

: adapted for throwing or hurling missiles

missile

2 of 2

noun

: 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

Until recently, the U.S. had limited any training of Ukrainians on U.S. weapons systems to Europe and was reluctant to send Patriots to Ukraine – over concerns the advanced anti-missile system and training of Ukrainians on U.S. soil would be seen as escalatory by Russian President Vladimir Putin. —Howard Lafranchi, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 Jan. 2023

Senior Israeli lawmakers have already called on Netanyahu to provide Ukraine with anti-drone and anti-missile systems. —Tovah Lazaroff, NBC News, 28 Feb. 2023

Noun

But three days after that meeting, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reiterated Putin's maximalist demands for a settlement and Moscow’s forces have pressed frontline attacks and missile and drone strikes on Ukrainian cities, claiming more civilian casualties. —Reuters, FOXNews.com, 2 May 2025

In its aftermath, Hezbollah has been decimated, the Assad regime in Syria has fallen, and Iran’s own missile bombardments on Israel were thwarted by Israel and its allies. —Noa Tishby, New York Daily News, 1 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Latin missilis, from mittere to throw, send

First Known Use

Adjective

1610, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

circa 1656, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing missile

• antiballistic missile
• anti-missile
• ballistic missile
• cruise missile
• guided missile
• surface-to-air missile
• surface-to-surface missile

Rhymes for missile

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

Kids Definition

missile

noun

mis·​sile

ˈmis-əl

: an object (as a stone, arrow, artillery shell, bullet, or rocket) that is thrown, shot, or launched usually so as to strike something at a distance

Etymology

Noun

from Latin missile "a weapon that is thrown or shot rather than held in the hand," derived from missus, past participle of mittere "to send, throw" — related to emit