ballistic missile
noun
plural ballistic missiles
Definition of ballistic missile
: a usually rocket-powered missile that is launched in a high arc under guidance for its ascent but that is unpowered and unguided once it begins its descent — compare cruise missile, guided missile
Examples of ballistic missile in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Before resuming ballistic missile testing in May, North Korea hadn't test-fired any missiles since November 2017. — David Culver, CNN, "North Korea testing 'creative' weapons that could threaten US, experts say," 8 Sep. 2019 The United States has criticized Iran’s space program as a cover for ballistic missile development. — Erin Cunningham, Washington Post, "Iran displays satellite after Trump tweet showing damaged launch site," 31 Aug. 2019 Responding to them all with an equal sense of alarm is like conflating a street mugging with an intercontinental ballistic missile attack. — Andy Greenberg, WIRED, "The WIRED Guide to Cyberwar," 23 Aug. 2019 NBC News confirmed that Trump had expressed interest in buying the island, which has natural resources including coal and uranium and already houses an American airbase, part of the U.S.'s ballistic missile early warning system. — NBC News, "Greenlanders mock reports that President Trump wants to buy Greenland," 16 Aug. 2019 The United States alleges such launches defy a UN Security Council resolution calling on Iran to undertake no activity related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons. — Jon Gambrell, BostonGlobe.com, "Images show Iran satellite launch looms despite US criticism," 18 Aug. 2019 The bet by Northrop is that the US military, through its national security launch contract, would want to support one of the nation's most critical suppliers of solid-rocket motors for intercontinental ballistic missiles. — Eric Berger, Ars Technica, "Four rocket companies are competing for Air Force funding, and it is war," 12 Aug. 2019 In addition to the Apollo program, Florey’s work has touched on ballistic missiles, Skylab, which preceded the International Space Station, and some classified projects. — Hillary Davis, Daily Pilot, "Costa Mesa man’s technology went to the moon and back throughout the Apollo era," 2 Aug. 2019 Khamenei reportedly has restricted the range of ballistic missiles manufactured in Iran to 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles). — Jon Gambrell, USA TODAY, "Iran's foreign minister says talks on ballistic missiles with US possible," 16 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ballistic missile.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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