projectile

1 of 2

noun

pro·​jec·​tile prə-ˈjek-tᵊl  -ˌtī(-ə)l 

 chiefly British  ˈprä-jik-ˌtī(-ə)l

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)

projectile

2 of 2

adjective

1

: projecting or impelling forward

a projectile force

2

: capable of being thrust forward

Examples of projectile in a Sentence

Noun

The cannon fires a ten-pound projectile.

Someone threw a projectile at her car.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Relative to the two biggest aerial assaults on Ukraine to date, where Russian forces launched 741 and 623 projectiles, Russia’s latest overnight strike is considerably smaller. —Katya Soldak, Forbes.com, 28 July 2025

When Israel depleted its supplies, the U.S. had to step in, firing a year’s production run of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, missiles to intercept Iran’s projectiles. —Nabih Bulos foreign Correspondent, Los Angeles Times, 5 July 2025

Adjective

Hopefully, there won’t be any more projectile dildos threatening the safety of players moving forward. —Armon Sadler, VIBE.com, 30 July 2025

Police badly wounded people with projectile weapons at the George Floyd protests and the Lakers’ NBA title celebration in L.A., spurring a mountain of lawsuits — which have cost taxpayers millions and still aren’t fully resolved. —Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 24 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1564, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1715, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing projectile

• projectile vomiting

Rhymes for projectile

• erectile
• anorectal
• colorectal
• dialectal
• rectal

Kids Definition

projectile

noun

pro·​jec·​tile

prə-ˈjek-tᵊl

: something (as a bullet or rocket) thrown or driven forward especially from or for use as a weapon