proximity fuse
noun
: a fuse for a projectile that uses the principle of radar to detect the presence of a target within the projectile's effective range
Examples of proximity fuse in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In 1942, Johns Hopkins launched its Applied Physics Laboratory, which developed the proximity fuse—another crucial technological innovation for the Allied victory—and which later, during the Sputnik era, developed the concept for GPS.
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L. Rafael Reif, Foreign Affairs, 6 May 2025
The missile’s 22-pound warhead is triggered using a laser proximity fuse immune to radar jamming.
—Sébastien Roblin, Popular Mechanics, 3 Sep. 2023
On closing with its target, a proximity fuse detonates the hulking missile’s 485-pound proximity warhead, releasing 37,000 fragments to shred everything within a forward-facing 120-degree cone.
—Sébastien Roblin, Popular Mechanics, 14 July 2023
And finally if the missile got too close, the system’s last line of defense would attempt to defeat its proximity fuse.
—David Hambling, Popular Mechanics, 28 Oct. 2020
New ammunition with proximity fuses is being developed to counter swarms of small armed boats, exploding in the air and peppering hostile, speedboat-sized ships with lethal shrapnel.
—Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 19 June 2017
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L. Rafael Reif, Foreign Affairs, 6 May 2025
The missile’s 22-pound warhead is triggered using a laser proximity fuse immune to radar jamming.
—Sébastien Roblin, Popular Mechanics, 3 Sep. 2023
On closing with its target, a proximity fuse detonates the hulking missile’s 485-pound proximity warhead, releasing 37,000 fragments to shred everything within a forward-facing 120-degree cone.
—Sébastien Roblin, Popular Mechanics, 14 July 2023
And finally if the missile got too close, the system’s last line of defense would attempt to defeat its proximity fuse.
—David Hambling, Popular Mechanics, 28 Oct. 2020
New ammunition with proximity fuses is being developed to counter swarms of small armed boats, exploding in the air and peppering hostile, speedboat-sized ships with lethal shrapnel.
—Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 19 June 2017
Cite this Entry
“Proximity fuse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/proximity%20fuse. Accessed 20 May. 2025.
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