missile
[ mis-uh l or, esp. British, -ahyl ]
/ ˈmɪs əl or, esp. British, -aɪl /
noun
an object or weapon for throwing, hurling, or shooting, as a stone, bullet, or arrow.
adjective
capable of being thrown, hurled, or shot, as from the hand or a gun.
used or designed for discharging missiles.
QUIZZES
TAKE THIS QUIZ TO SEE WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT 2ND-3RD GRADE VOCAB FROM BOOKS!
Are you learning new vocabulary? Or do you just have an interest in words? Either way, this quiz is for you.
Question 1 of 10
orchard
Origin of missile
1600–10; < Latin, neuter of missilis, equivalent to miss(us) (past participle of mittere to send, throw) + -ilis -ile
Words nearby missile
missend, missense, missense mutation, misshape, misshapen, missile, missile gap, missileer, missileman, missilery, missing
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for missile
British Dictionary definitions for missile
missile
/ (ˈmɪsaɪl) /
noun
any object or weapon that is thrown at a target or shot from an engine, gun, etc
- 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)
- (as modifier)a missile carrier
Word Origin for missile
C17: from Latin: missilis, from mittere to send
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