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heat-seeking

British  

adjective

  1. (of a detecting device) able to detect sources of infrared radiation

    a heat-seeking camera

  2. (of a missile) able to detect and follow a source of heat, as from an aircraft engine

    a heat-seeking missile

"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

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They also reportedly have dispensers for chaff -- metal shavings that distract radar-guided missiles -- and flares that blind heat-seeking missiles.

From Barron's Jul. 10, 2026

L.A.’s heat-seeking “Showtime” franchise is obsessed over more than any other, in good times and especially troubled ones, to the point where it smothers other NBA coverage and drives many fans nuts.

From The Wall Street Journal Sep. 16, 2025

And Moutra is like a heat-seeking missile when he launches toward the ballcarrier.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 29, 2025

They have been joined by Israeli and Mexican search teams and are using sophisticated heat-seeking equipment to try to locate anyone still alive.

From BBC Apr. 9, 2025

He had to have been thinking a bomb was about to drop, that Cade Hernandez was about to deploy a heat-seeking missile.

From "100 Sideways Miles" by Andrew Smith

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