ballistics

[ buh-lis-tiks ]

/ bəˈlɪs tɪks /

Save This Word!

noun (usually used with a singular verb)

the science or study of the motion of projectiles, as bullets, shells, or bombs.

the art or science of designing projectiles for maximum flight performance.

QUIZ

ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?

We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.

Question 1 of 8

Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?

navy

beryl

azure

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing

Origin of ballistics

First recorded in 1745–55; see origin at ballistic, -ics

OTHER WORDS FROM ballistics

bal·lis·ti·cian

[bal-uh-stish-uhn], /ˌbæl əˈstɪʃ ən/, noun

Words nearby ballistics

ballistic, ballistic camera, ballistic galvanometer, ballistic missile, ballistic pendulum, ballistics, ballistic trajectory, ballistic wind, ballistite, ballistocardiogram, ballistocardiograph

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use ballistics in a sentence

In March, the ATF embedded a machine in the Columbia Police Department to process the ballistics data.
How Missouri’s Absurd New Gun Law Hurts Police Departments and Shooting Victims|Andrew Boryga|August 25, 2021|The Daily Beast
You have access to a handful of sound profiles, including a competitive mode for detecting footsteps, an ultra-low ballistics mode for punchy explosions, and non-gaming options “music” and “warm.”
Audeze Mobius gaming headset review: Surround sound all around|Michael Epstein|August 24, 2021|Popular-Science
One of the selling points of the technology was that it could capture DNA and ballistics information useful to investigators, but not all the stats previously offered by SDPD hold up today.
Morning Report: Shotspotter’s Uncertain Future|Voice of San Diego|March 1, 2021|Voice of San Diego
ShotSpotter’s other major selling point is that its technology helps police departments collect ballistics information and DNA evidence from shell casings, which can then be uploaded into law enforcement databases.
ShotSpotter Devices Will Get More Scrutiny Going Forward|Jesse Marx|March 1, 2021|Voice of San Diego

He admitted in court that he was not a pathologist, and that he did not have any formal training in ballistics or sound.
Disastrous Turn By Star Witness For Pistorius Defense|Kelly Berold|April 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As he puts it in terms that could apply to ballistics, he is “plotting an arc of motions that plotted me.”
Joseph McElroy’s ‘Cannonball’ Is the Meta Iraq War Novel|Tom LeClair|July 25, 2013|DAILY BEAST
But DiMaio, with his ballistics and forensic credentials, may have been more persuasive.
Experts: George Zimmerman Just Caught a Big Break|Christine Pelisek|July 10, 2013|DAILY BEAST
To be sure, there are professorships, and ballistics experts in the Navy, but these aren't actually all that well paid.
Educational Inequality|Megan McArdle|June 27, 2013|DAILY BEAST
He was tied to the cases through ballistics and DNA evidence.
The Grim Sleeper’s Trial Is Moving at Snail’s Pace, and Victims’ Families Are Furious|Christine Pelisek|March 21, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Ballistics tests proved that it was Jeff's gun which had killed both Biggert and Carlson.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942|Various
Another interesting and profitable province of the cinematograph is that concerning ballistics.
Practical Cinematography and Its Applications|Frederick Arthur Ambrose Talbot
Have you ever had any formal training in ballistics or in exit wounds or entrance wounds—bullet wounds?
Warren Commission (6 of 26): Hearings Vol. VI (of 15)|The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy
Well, I am not an expert on ballistics, but one cannot escape certain ballistic implications in this business.
Warren Commission (6 of 26): Hearings Vol. VI (of 15)|The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy
Investigating the wound ballistics of various bullets and other military missiles.
Warren Commission (5 of 26): Hearings Vol. V (of 15)|The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy

British Dictionary definitions for ballistics

ballistics

/ (bəˈlɪstɪks) /

noun

(functioning as singular) the study of the flight dynamics of projectiles, either through the interaction of the forces of propulsion, the aerodynamics of the projectile, atmospheric resistance, and gravity (exterior ballistics), or through these forces along with the means of propulsion, and the design of the propelling weapon and projectile (interior ballistics)

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

Scientific definitions for ballistics

ballistics

[ bə-lĭs′tĭks ]

The scientific study of the characteristics of projectiles, such as bullets or missiles, and the way they move in flight.