missile

CEFRB2

/ˈmɪs.aɪl/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A weapon sent through the air toward a target.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    A self-propelled projectile whose trajectory can be adjusted after it is launched.

Examples

  • The Cuban Missile Crisis brought the world to the brink of nuclear war.

  • The missile attack took a heavy toll of lives.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
3
Parts of speech
1
Citations
1

Also pronounced

  • /-aɪl/
  • /ˈmɪs.(ə)l/

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meaning

  1. Any object used as a weapon by being thrown or fired through the air, such as stone, arrow or bullet.

More examples

In context

  • Riot officers and police on horseback were deployed to disperse the crowns, but they came under attack from bottles, fireworks and other missiles.

  • That missile is explosive enough to kill hundreds.

  • The Rhodians, who used leaden bullets, were able to project their missiles twice as far as the Persian slingers, who used large stones.

Antonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The military launched a guided blank that precisely hit its target today.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

From Latin missile (“thrown weapon, projectile”), neuter of missilis (“throwable, capable of being thrown”), from mittere (“to send”). From 1611. Compare Middle French missile (“projectile”), from 1636.