Definitions for missile
ˈmɪs əl; esp. Brit. -aɪlmis·sile

Princeton's WordNet(2.00 / 3 votes)Rate this definition:

1. missile(noun)

   a rocket carrying a warhead of conventional or nuclear explosives; may be ballistic or directed by remote control

2. projectile, missile(noun)

   a weapon that is forcibly thrown or projected at a targets but is not self-propelled

GCIDE(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Missile(n.)

   A rocket-propelled device designed to fly through the air and deliver a warhead of explosive materials to a target.

Origin: [L. missile.]

Wiktionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. missile(Noun)

   An object intended to be launched into the air at a target.

2. missile(Noun)

   A self-propelled projectile whose trajectory can be adjusted after having been launched.

Origin: From missilis, neuter missile, in plural missilia, from mittere.

Webster Dictionary(3.00 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Missile(adj)

   capable of being thrown; adapted for hurling or to be projected from the hand, or from any instrument or rngine, so as to strike an object at a distance

2. Missile(noun)

   a weapon thrown or projected or intended to be projcted, as a lance, an arrow, or a bullet

Origin: [L. missils, fr. mittere, missum, to cause to go, to send, to throw; cf. Lith. mesti to throw: cf. F. missile. Cf. Admit, Dismiss, Mass the religious service, Message, Mission.]

Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Missile

   In a modern military, a missile is a self-propelled guided weapon system, as opposed to a unguided self-propelled munition, referred to as just a rocket . Missiles have four system components: targeting and/or guidance, flight system, engine, and warhead. Missiles come in types adapted for different purposes: surface-to-surface and air-to-surface missiles, surface-to-air missiles, air-to-air missiles, and anti-satellite missiles. All known existing missiles are designed to be propelled during powered flight by chemical reactions inside a rocket engine, jet engine, or other type of engine. Non-self-propelled airborne explosive devices are generally referred to as shells and usually have a shorter range than missiles. An ordinary English-language usage predating guided weapons is simply any thrown object, such as items thrown at players by rowdy spectators at a sporting event.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Missile

   mis′il, adj. that may be thrown from the hand or from any instrument.—n. a weapon thrown by the hand. [L. missilis—mittĕre, missum, to throw.]

British National Corpus

1. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'missile' in Nouns Frequency: #1921

Anagrams for missile »

1. smilies

2. similes

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of missile in Chaldean Numerology is: 2

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of missile in Pythagorean Numerology is: 5

Examples of missile in a Sentence

1. Brandon Nelson:

   My friends told me I looked like a human missile.

2. Outgoing Defense Secretary Ash Carter:

   If the missile is threatening, it will be intercepted.

3. Lynda Barry:

   If it is your time, love will track you down like a cruise missile.

4. Andrea Thompson:

   A static display of a missile cannot tell you how far a missile flies.

5. Martin Lidegaard:

   Russia knows very well that NATO's missile defence is not aimed at them.

Images & Illustrations of missile

Popularity rank by frequency of use