cruise missile

noun

: a guided missile that has a terrain-following radar system and that flies at moderate speed and low altitude

Examples of cruise missile in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

As well as being exempt from conditions enforced by the U.S. and other allies, ballistic missiles are also harder for Russian air defenses to intercept, compared with cruise missiles or drones, Parakilas said. —

Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024 The Mirage 2000s will complement the pre-war Sukhoi Su-24 bombers that are currently the Ukrainian air force’s only cruise missile carriers. —

David Axe, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024 The last time Iran tried to hit Israel with ballistic and cruise missiles, in April, President Joe Biden put heavy pressure on Israel to rein in its response to a symbolic minimum. —

Bret Stephens, The Mercury News, 3 Oct. 2024 This month, the company also announced a new family of cruise missiles. —

Bloomberg, Orange County Register, 19 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for cruise missile

Word History

First Known Use

1959, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of cruise missile was in 1959

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Cruise missile.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cruise%20missile. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

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