projectile

noun pro·jec·tile \ prə-ˈjek-tᵊl , -ˌtī(-ə)l , chiefly British ˈprä-jik-ˌtī(-ə)l \

|Updated on: 12 Aug 2018

Examples: projectile in a Sentence

Definition of projectile

1 : a body projected by external force and continuing in motion by its own inertia; especially : a missile for a weapon (such as a firearm)

2 : a self-propelling weapon (such as a rocket)

See projectile defined for English-language learners

See projectile defined for kids

Examples of projectile in a Sentence

The cannon fires a ten-pound projectile.
Someone threw a projectile at her car.

Recent Examples of projectile from the Web

Three Israeli soldiers were injured and were receiving medical treatment, but the Iron Dome defense system intercepted most of the projectiles, the Israeli military said.

— felicia schwartz and dov lieber, WSJ, "Israeli Jets Hit Gaza Targets After Militants Fire Projectiles Over Border," 29 May 2018
But this is just the horizontal velocity of the projectile.

— rhett allain, WIRED, "Something's Off With the Turbolaser Shots in The Last Jedi," 11 May 2018
Each contestant attempts to make it through obstacles, while the other contestants fire projectiles to knock them off or slow them down.

— myah ward, charlotteobserver, "He got famous as the 'handshake' teacher. Now he brings different skills to national TV," 10 July 2018
The strikes come after militants broke days of calm along the volatile frontier by firing projectiles toward Israeli communities.

— Fox News, "Israeli strikes Hamas in Gaza after rocket fire resumes," 3 June 2018
The facility, built in the 1960s to support the Apollo missions, features a rotating .30 caliber light-gas gun and powder gun to fire projectiles ranging from 0.005 mm to 7.6 mm up to 7 km/hour.

— jay bennett, Popular Mechanics, "NASA's High-Speed Cannon Used to Explore the Origins of Water on Earth," 26 Apr. 2018
Instead of explosives, railguns use powerful electromagnets to fire projectiles as far as 100 nautical miles (115 miles) at seven times the speed of sound.

— eric baculinao, NBC News, "These Chinese military innovations threaten U.S. superiority, experts say," 17 Feb. 2018
The program promised to deliver a gun that could fire projectiles at speeds over Mach 7 with a range exceeding 100 miles.

— sean gallagher, Ars Technica, "US dropped ball on Navy railgun development—now China is picking it up," 2 Feb. 2018
Electromagnetic rail guns mounted on ships, which can fire projectiles at 4,500 miles an hour to the edge of space, could counter ballistic-missile warheads.

— The Economist, "Using clever technology to keep enemies at bay," 25 Jan. 2018

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

First Known Use of projectile

1564

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

Other Weapons and Explosives Terms

automatic, carbine, cudgel, muzzle, rapier

projectile

adjective

Definition of projectile

1 : projecting or impelling forward

a projectile force

2 : capable of being thrust forward

First Known Use of projectile

1715

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

Other Physics Terms

amplitude, centrifugal, centripetal, convection, gradient, hysteresis, kinetic, lase, quantum

PROJECTILE Defined for English Language Learners

projectile

noun

Definition of projectile for English Language Learners

: something (such as a bullet or rocket) that is shot from a weapon
: something (such as a rock) that is thrown as a weapon

PROJECTILE Defined for Kids

projectile

noun pro·jec·tile \ prə-ˈjek-təl \

Definition of projectile for Students

: something (as a bullet or rocket) thrown or shot especially from a weapon

Learn More about projectile

See words that rhyme with projectile Spanish Central: Translation of projectile Nglish: Translation of projectile for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of projectile for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about projectile

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projectile

Definition of projectile

Examples of projectile in a Sentence

Recent Examples of projectile from the Web

First Known Use of projectile

Other Weapons and Explosives Terms

projectile

Definition of projectile

First Known Use of projectile

Other Physics Terms

PROJECTILE Defined for English Language Learners

projectile

Definition of projectile for English Language Learners

PROJECTILE Defined for Kids

projectile

Definition of projectile for Students

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