cruise missile

American  

noun

1. a winged guided missile designed to deliver a conventional or nuclear warhead by flying at low altitudes to avoid detection by radar.

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cruise missile British  

noun

1. an air-breathing low-flying subsonic missile that is continuously powered and guided throughout its flight and carries a warhead

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cruise missile Cultural  

1. A military missile equipped with an onboard computer that allows it to guide itself on a preprogrammed course over long distances by sensing the terrain and comparing it to maps stored in its memory. (See smart weapons (see also smart weapons).)

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Cruise missiles first came into public awareness during the Persian Gulf War.

Compare meaning

How does cruise-missile compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• cruise missile vs. ballistic missile

Example Sentences

That includes lower-surface cruise missiles and intercontinental ballistic missiles that fire up and over the roughly 35,000 feet that commercial flights typically operate at.

From The Wall Street Journal

The Navy found the stress of repeatedly fighting off drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles, along with numerous combat operations, had contributed to the incident.

From The Wall Street Journal

“It can be used to conduct strikes, escort bombers and in a defensive role against cruise missiles and one-way attack drones.”

From The Wall Street Journal

So allow us to bring you a good news story: A new cheap American cruise missile developed in 16 months.

From The Wall Street Journal

Footage aired on state-linked Iranian media showed cruise missiles being launched from trucks along the coast and from boats as an oil tanker sailed in the background.

From The Wall Street Journal