missile

American  

[mis-uhl, -ahyl] / ˈmɪs əl, -aɪl /

noun

• missiles
  plural

1. an object or weapon for throwing, hurling, or shooting, as a stone, bullet, or arrow.

2. guided missile.

3. ballistic missile.

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adjective

1. capable of being thrown, hurled, or shot, as from the hand or a gun.

2. used or designed for discharging missiles.

missile British  

/ ˈmɪsaɪl /

noun

1. any object or weapon that is thrown at a target or shot from an engine, gun, etc

2. 1. a rocket-propelled weapon that flies either in a fixed trajectory (ballistic missile) or in a trajectory that can be controlled during flight (guided missile)

   2. ( as modifier )

      a missile carrier

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• missiles
  plural

Etymology

Origin of missile

1600–10; < Latin, neuter of missilis, equivalent to miss ( us ) (past participle of mittere to send, throw) + -ilis -ile

Explanation

A missile is an object that can be projected toward a target. Examples include a spitball shot through a straw, a poison-tipped arrow sent via bow, or a self-propelled heat-seeking rocket, designed to take out targets at long range. When you learn about the Cuban Missile Crisis in history, the missiles in question were guided rockets loaded with nuclear warheads, supplied to the Cubans by the Soviet Union. A missile defense strategy is one where you send up defensive missile to blow up your enemy's offensive ones before they can reach you.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

missile missiles

On October 3, Pyongyang test-fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile that Kim Yo Jong said employed unspecified artificial intelligence technology and was "capable of changing its flight orbit at a low altitude".

From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026

The Saudi-led military coalition that backs Yemen's government said the missile was intercepted.

From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026

BBC Verify has confirmed the images are genuine and the apparent missile fragments came down in an area of open land surrounded by high-rise apartment buildings.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency has warned airlines that “recurrent missile and drone attacks, together with the activation of air-defense systems, create an increased risk of misidentification of civil aircraft.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

On September 21, 1997, while cruising off the coast of Virginia, the billion-dollar missile cruiser shuddered to a halt.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

The Houthis claimed responsibility and said they had used cruise missiles to target the airport.

From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026

The Yemeni government's Saba news agency reported missiles and drones targeting that airport.

From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026

Two Saudi officials familiar with the matter said the Yemeni group has been using missiles to target the kingdom’s airports this week including the airports in Riyadh and Abha.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

It was the electronic calling card of Night Watch, an elite Ukrainian jamming unit that says it downed the missiles with its Lima system.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

The craft made it through the atmosphere but then blew up, showering fragments—which looked like missiles on American radar screens—back to Earth.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin

Related Words

• ammunition
• bomb
• bullet
• projectile
• rocket