ballistic

[ buh-lis-tik ]

adjective
  1. of or relating to ballistics.

  2. having its motion determined or describable by the laws of exterior ballistics.

Idioms about ballistic

  1. go ballistic, Informal. to become overwrought or irrational: went ballistic over the idea of a tax hike.

Origin of ballistic

1
First recorded in 1765–75; ballist(a) + -ic

Other words from ballistic

  • bal·lis·ti·cal·ly, adverb

Words Nearby ballistic

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How to use ballistic in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for ballistic

ballistic

/ (bəˈlɪstɪk) /


adjective
  1. of or relating to ballistics

  2. denoting or relating to the flight of projectiles after power has been cut off, moving under their own momentum and the external forces of gravity and air resistance

  1. (of a measurement or measuring instrument) depending on a brief impulse or current that causes a movement related to the quantity to be measured: a ballistic pendulum

  2. go ballistic informal to become enraged or frenziedly violent

  3. (of materials) strong enough to resist damage by projectile weapons: ballistic nylon

Derived forms of ballistic

  • ballistically, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with ballistic

ballistic

see go ballistic.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.