surface-to-surface

American

[sur-fis-tuh-sur-fis] / ˈsɜr fɪs təˈsɜr fɪs /

adjective

(of a missile, message, etc.) capable of traveling from a base on the surface of the earth to a target also on the surface.

adverb

from a base on the surface of the earth to a target on the surface.

surface-to-surface British

adjective

of or relating to a missile launched from the surface of the earth against surface targets

"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

Etymology

Origin of surface-to-surface

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

surface-to-surface

Most of its arsenal is made up of small, unguided, surface-to-surface artillery rockets.

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2024

Moscow also fired air defense missiles that had been configured to a surface-to-surface mode, British officials said in their latest intelligence assessment of the war in Ukraine.

From Washington Times ● Mar. 10, 2023

Agni missiles are long-range, nuclear-capable, surface-to-surface ballistic missiles.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 15, 2022

Last month, two senior Iranian officials and two Iranian diplomats told Reuters that Iran had promised to provide Russia with surface-to-surface missiles.

From Reuters ● Nov. 12, 2022

The forces had no surface-to-surface missile capability in 1970.

From Area Handbook for Albania by Sarah Jane Elpern

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023