missile

adjective mis·sile \ ˈmi-səl , chiefly British -ˌsīl \

Definition of missile

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

2 :adapted for throwing or hurling missiles

Recent Examples of missile from the Web

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

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.

Origin and Etymology of missile

Latin missilis, from mittere to throw, send

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1610

See Words from the same year

missile

noun

Definition of missile

: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

See missile defined for English-language learners

See missile defined for kids

Recent Examples of missile from the Web

While Kim has conducted about 80 missile tests as supreme leader—

— lucinda shen, Fortune, "Warren Buffett Says This Is the Only Real Threat to the U.S. Economy," 30 Aug. 2017
Today, not much remains of the missile installation.

— Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Nuclear missiles were once ready to launch from Milwaukee's suburbs," 23 Aug. 2017
Military designers have tried to keep the profiles of naval vessels as low as possible, to make them smaller targets for enemy guns, aircraft and missiles, and have avoided putting sleeping quarters high above the water.

— eric schmitt and keith bradsher, New York Times, "After Dangerous Collisions, Navy Will Pause for Safety Check," 21 Aug. 2017
Nike missiles were stationed at the base during the Cold War era.

— christina hall, Detroit Free Press, "Do you know these facts about Selfridge Air National Guard Base's rich 100-year history?," 17 Aug. 2017
After reports surfaced this week that North Korea had developed a missile-ready nuclear warhead, thereby placing hundreds millions of people throughout Asia in an unprecedented level of danger, here is how the President of the United States—

— jay willis, GQ, "A President Who Doesn't Know How to Pick His Battles Puts the Whole World in Danger," 12 Aug. 2017
In a war of (so far only) words with the U.S., North Korea has threatened to shoot missiles at Guam, a remote island and U.S. territory.

— National Geographic, "How Well Do You Know Guam?," 10 Aug. 2017
The Associated Press's Eric Talmadge reports that North Korea has presented a detailed plan to fire four ballistic missiles over Japan and into the water about 20 miles from Guam.

— dan sweeney, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Bad week for Wasserman Schultz," 10 Aug. 2017
Prior to these threats, North Korea continued testing weapons, launching four ballistic missiles at one time, three of which landed in Japanese waters.

— emma sarran webster, Teen Vogue, "North Korea: What to Know About Its Government and Nuclear Weapons History," 9 Aug. 2017

First Known Use of missile

circa 1656

Other Military Terms

bivouac, logistics, petard, salient, sally, supernumerary, tactical

MISSILE Defined for English Language Learners

missile

noun

Definition of missile for English Language Learners

: an object that is thrown, shot, or launched as a weapon; especially : a rocket that explodes when it hits a distant target

MISSILE Defined for Kids

missile

noun mis·sile \ ˈmi-səl \

Definition of missile for Students

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

Word Root of missile

The Latin word mittere, meaning “to send,” and its form missus give us the roots mit and miss. Words from the Latin mittere have something to do with sending. A missile is an object, such as a bullet, arrow, or rocket, that is sent through the air so as to hit a target. To emit is to send forth or give out. To omit, or leave out, is to send away so as to not be included. To permit, or allow, is to send something through without stopping it.