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

Many critics worry that Iran will quickly seek to rebuild its shattered military, replenish its drone and missile programs and revive the threat of its proxy network that includes Hezbollah and the Houthis in Yemen. — David Goldman, CNN Money, 26 June 2026

The conflict over the past few months has increased war risk insurance costs for both maritime and aviation sectors, with insurers reassessing exposure due to missile threats, airspace closure, and other disruptions. — Tiago Ventura, Time, 26 June 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