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

His neighbor is an anti-missile battery. — Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 23 June 2026

According to Wenlong, this suggests the PLA may be training for coordinated, multi-missile launches. — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 21 June 2026

Noun

June was the deadliest month for Ukrainian civilians since April 2022, the United Nations said this week – an increase driven by long-range Russian missiles that have struck urban residential buildings. — Tim Lister, CNN Money, 16 July 2026

Both missiles are available to US military services and allied nations, subject to approvals from the Department of War and the State Department. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 15 July 2026

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