intermediate range ballistic missile

American  

noun

1. any supersonic missile that has a range of 800 to 1,500 nautical miles (1,500 to 2,800 km) and follows a ballistic trajectory after a powered, guided launching. IRBM, I.R.B.M.

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intermediate range ballistic missile British  

noun

1.  IRBM.  a missile that follows a ballistic trajectory with a medium range, normally of the order of 750–1500 miles

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intermediate-range ballistic missile Cultural  

1. A missile that carries nuclear warheads and is launched from the ground or submarines, but that has a range of only a few hundred to fifteen hundred miles.

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Etymology

Origin of intermediate range ballistic missile

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

In October 2022, North Korea fired an intermediate range ballistic missile over Japan for the first time in five years.

From New York Times • Nov. 5, 2022

North Korea has fired a suspected intermediate range ballistic missile over part of northern Japan.

From BBC • Oct. 3, 2022

It is large enough to conceal the first stage of North Korea’s Musudan intermediate range ballistic missile, its Unha space-launch vehicle, or a new rocket engine.

From Reuters • Jan. 28, 2016

But what primarily concerned the U.S. was the need for intermediate range ballistic missile bases in Europe.

From Time Magazine Archive

Related Words

• intercontinental ballistic missile
• surface-to-air missile