submunition

noun

sub·​mu·​ni·​tion (ˌ)səb-myü-ˈni-shən 

: any of a group of smaller weapons carried as a warhead by a missile or projectile and expelled as the carrier approaches its target

Examples of submunition in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In July, the Biden administration began supplying Ukraine with 155-millimeter artillery shells that each contain 72 smaller submunitions designed for destroying armored vehicles and enemy soldiers. —John Ismay, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2023

The missiles were not the deep-strike variant Kyiv had requested, with the United States instead opting for a shorter-range weapon that drops cluster submunitions. —Washington Post Staff, Washington Post, 4 Dec. 2023

One photo taken at the scene at one of Tuesday’s strikes appears to show an unexploded M74 submunition — a small bomblet about the size of a baseball, which is carried by the oldest versions of the ATACMS missile, called the M39. —John Ismay, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2023

Critics of the weapon note that some of the submunitions fail to explode, putting civilians at risk often years after a conflict has ended. —John Hudson, Washington Post, 22 Sep. 2023

Children are particularly vulnerable, because the submunitions can fail to explode until they are picked up, even years after a conflict has ended. —John Hudson and Anastacia Galouchka, Anchorage Daily News, 21 Aug. 2023

Some exotic submunitions may also be individually guided using infrared sensors. —Sébastien Roblin, Popular Mechanics, 7 July 2023

The submunitions can fail to explode on impact, potentially killing or injuring people long after a conflict ends. —Mikhail Klimentov, Washington Post, 21 July 2023

Children are particularly vulnerable, as the submunitions can fail to explode until they're picked up, potentially years after a conflict has ended. —Compiled By Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, Arkansas Online, 21 July 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1969, in the meaning defined above