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

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Etymology

Origin of missile

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

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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

Lawmakers have drafted legislation that would shift funding from foreign financing to defense investments and co-production on military technologies between the U.S. and Israel, including on missile defense and counterdrone technology.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026

The 2027 Asian Cup is just the latest event to be postponed in the Middle East amid concerns about missile attacks by Yemen's Houthi movement.

From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026

Ukraine's air alert app is widely used to warn of Russian missile and drone attacks.

From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026

Tracks like Cybotron’s “Industrial Lies” — “You buy the missile, buy the laser, buy the tank ... Evict the widow, put the money in the bank” — worked as social critique and floor-filler alike.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026

He doubled in height, and from his back sprung a missile of fur and teeth.

From "The Inquisitor's Tale" by Adam Gidwitz

Early on Saturday, Iran's Tasnim news agency reported that two missiles had struck Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, adding there was no official information about any damage.

From Barron's ● Nov. 7, 2026

They flew horizontally, using small jet engines, rather than rockets like ballistic missiles.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026

Pyongyang blasted on Monday the FBI's allegations it was behind the theft of $6 billion from cryptocurrency platform Binance, as it test-fired strategic cruise missiles in a new display of its weapons capabilities.

From Barron's ● Nov. 3, 2026

Although relations with the US and its president are often fraught, Ukraine continues to rely heavily on US intelligence and US-made Patriot air defence missiles to counter Russian aerial attacks.

From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026

In spite of the enormous risks, Kennedy decided that the Soviet missiles had to go.

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

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Related Words

• ammunition
• bomb
• bullet
• projectile
• rocket

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