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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

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

Word History

First Known Use

1945, in the meaning defined above